FateStay Blue
by bamafelix
Summary: This is not the story of the blue-haired Messiah who saved the world, but rather, the blue-haired boy who became a Master in the Fifth Holy Grail War. Alongside Caster, Minato must face and defeat seven other Masters and heroes in order to achieve the greatest of rewards: The Holy Grail. One question that remains is: Does Minato even HAVE a wish? Or is his soul as empty as he is?
1. Chapter 1: The Servant Is Summoned

**Here it is! The promised story! I hope y'all enjoys! And thank God the poll is finally over. I can finally get started with this schnizz. So after some debating, I've decided to do Minato as the age he would've been about around the time of the Holy Grail War (which I am assuming took place in 2002).**

**So Minato's the hero of this story. Oh. And he won't be absolutely paragon in this story. He has-BUM BUM BUUUUUM!-a backstory. So expect some crap to go down at some point. Oh. And this is like a theoretical AU. Please read that beginning part below the disclaimer.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except...any OC's I may possibly make up at some point in the future.**

**Chapter 1:**

**The Servant Is Summoned**

There exists many stories, worlds, and names for the legendary Wild Card. The Blue-Haired Messiah who sacrificed his life to save the world. The callous reaper who betrayed his comrades and died in the process. The Martyr who died doing what he believed would end it all. The cowardly Fool who killed a friend to have a peaceful death.

But there is one story that has never been told. One that involved a much different battle with similar stakes. A story where Persona, the Dark Hour, all of it, had never existed...yet our blue-haired hero possessed another power. One passed through several generations of his family: Magic.  
This ability is what opens the door to the story. HIS story. The story of a magus. A magus who would take part in one of the greatest wars that would ever come to pass on this Earth:

The Fifth Holy Grail War.

This is the story of the Master, Minato Arisato.

* * *

The ten-year-old child/prodigy stepped back to admire his handiwork. The large, complex, magic circle had finally been completed. The boy even smiled a little which in itself was a rarity for him. He moved the strands of his dark blue hair covering his forehead aside so he could wipe some sweat from his brow. He had managed to avoid spilling any of the materials used to make his circle on his black t-shirt, his pants, or anywhere else in the large house the boy had 'rented'. Overall, he was in a good mood.

It was a strong feeling of elation he felt when he realized how close he was to taking part in one of the greatest battles in all of history, more so because he knew he would be the won who would win.

The young boy held out his left hand toward the circle, rewarding him with the sight of the bright red seals that were engraved into the back of it as well as a slightly bloodied bandage around part of his arm.

He had needed to get the blood for the circle from somewhere.

The seals themselves resembled three sets of angel-like wings that were attached to a small ring.

They were proof he was far greater than those of his family. With these seals, he would prove himself more than the simple-minded tool they had taken him to be. This was HIS choice for once. He would prove he was a far greater magus than ANY of them! They would see the error they made in underestimating him.

The child took a deep breath, preparing himself mentally for the ritual he was to perform.

He then began to chant. The ritual had begun.

**"A base of Silver and Steel. A foundation of stone and the Archduke of Contracts."**

The magic circle began to radiate a large current of power as it reacted to the boy's words.

Here it was. The dream he had spent several weeks thinking about was about to come true.

**"The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg."**

The only question was what Servant he'd summon.

**"The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate."**

It would be great if he got one of the knight classes such as Archer, Lancer, or perhaps ever Saber. If he summoned any of them, victory was assured. He would have the honor of not only being the first in his family to take part in the Holy Grail War, but he'd also be the victor of said war. Then they will see how they almost made a mistake a few weeks ago when they planned their foolish plans for taking his place in the war.

**"Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Repeat five times."**

Caster would also be satisfactory as they usually have strong magical capabilities. While the boy would have to plan his attacks much more carefully, he'd still have a fair amount of power on his side depending on which specific Servant he summoned. Rider would only seem slightly better than Caster depending on who answered his call.

**"Simply shatter once filled."**

The young boy took a quick breath before continuing his chant a mere second later. He mentally cursed his lungs for lacking a larger capacity.

**"――――I announce. "**

Then doubts began to cloud his soul. What if he got Berserker or Assassin? His situation would be much less pleasant if he did.

**"My will shall create thy body, and thy sword shall create my fate."**

Berserker may very well kill the boy from the stress of trying to control him/her while Assassin appeared to be exceptionally weak for a Servant compared to the other classes. Not to mention the only choice would be one of the nineteen Hassan-I-Sabbah, so there's not much difficulty discovering their identity. It would also be difficult should he need to engage a Servant as Assassins usually must target the Master to have any hope of winning. Summoning such a Servant would be suicidal as well as useless.

**"Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail, if thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer me!"**

The boy was literally jumping from an airplane with no parachute. He may lose his life depending on the outcome.

**"I hereby swear-"**

The boy shook his head. He knew the stakes from the moment the Grail had chosen him. His dream...He was willing to die in the process if the need be to achieve his goal. The very earth he stood on began to shake as the connection to the Grail was almost completed.

**"-that I will be all that is good in the eternal world. And that I will be the disposer of evil in this eternal world."**

_I won't surrender! This is my goal. My dream! If for this reason-_

Light began to pour from the boy's circle, slowly consuming the room he stood in.

**"Thou, the seven days clad in the Great Trinity, come forth from the circle of constraint, O Keeper of Scales!"**

_-I'll gladly give my meager life!_

The circle began to finally complete its purpose as the boy, the room, and possibly even the house itself were enveloped by the magnificent light that signified its success (or perhaps a terrible failure that will result in death). The boy had to shield his eyes to avoid going blind. It took several minutes, but the blinding light had finally vanished and the strange buzzing noise in his ears along with it. Once his vision returned to normal, the boy looked back to his magic circle and was pleased by what he saw.

Standing in the center of said circle was a woman. She didn't seem any older than her mid-twenties but looks could be deceiving if he truly did summon her. She wore a black dress which fluttered a little at the hem of the skirt while the part covering her chest just barely managed to avoid revealing too much of her ample..."gifts". Her detached sleeves traveled all the way down to her hands, almost forming gloves with two straps in the back of either arm's end. She maintained an impressive balance despite the metal heels she wore for footwear. Despite appearing healthy, her skin was incredibly pale yet flawless. Her eyes were a dark gray color while her long, black hair came all the way down to the floor, causing the boy to almost mistake it for a cape due to the way it fluttered in the breeze. The boy also couldn't help but notice a slightly regal air about her.

For just a moment when she looked at him, the boy could've sworn he saw the woman's eyes flash with an excited light before she regained control.

While she looked down upon him, the boy could tell she meant no real insult. He couldn't help being only being ten as well as short. If he despised everyone who looked down at him, he would have one Hell of a list of enemies. And even then it would be pointless.

Feeling like she was waiting for something, the boy broke the tension by bowing respectfully to the woman.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, o great and powerful hero chosen by the Grail."

The woman allowed a small smile to show on her face, clearly pleased.

"It is good to see the one who has summoned me knows something of manners." Her silky voice went perfectly with her beautiful appearance, also adding to her air of authority and power. But the boy could tell she was more pleased than she let on. He also couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable due to the way she was staring intently at him...it took a good second to empty that feeling from his mind, returning to a neutral state. Instead, he chose to focus on the woman's general presence rather than just her face.

The boy then cleared his throat. "I ask of you, o hero. Are you the Servant who has answered my call?"

The woman tapped her chin pensively. "It depends. Are you my Master?"

The boy blinked. The response had taken him by surprise. "I don't believe anyone else is around, so-"

The newly summoned Servant shook her head. "That wasn't the question. I asked 'are you my Master'?"

The boy was at a loss. He had assumed the actual summoning would've been the hard and/or annoying part. An idea popped into his head.

He showed the back of his left hand to the Servant, revealing his angelic-seeming red command spells. "I have command spells. These prove my legitimacy as a Master. See?" He stated proudly.

The Servant began rubbing her temples. "You still haven't answered my question. Are you my Master?"

The boy's eyebrow twitched. This was beginning to feel repetitive. "Look, Servant-san, I was the one who prepared the ritual. I bought the paint and I mixed my own blood with it for God's sake. And I also made the magic circle that summoned you." Annoyance began to sneak into his voice. Something about this just seemed irritating to him.

The Servant sighed, apparently still not satisfied with his answer as she filed her nails with a file of unknown origin. She appeared quite casual about it. "That is quite obvious, but it has nothing to do with the question. I'm asking if you are worthy enough to earn my service as a Servant. I refuse to serve a weak Master with no resolve to see this war through. I will ask one final time: Are you my Master?"

This Servant was beginning to wear down the boy's patience. He has repeatedly given her evidence of being the one who summoned her as well as her Master, but she continued to ask that same question. 'Are you my Master?'

_Isn't it obvious?_

It was even far more insulting that she dared to call him weak. That was the reason the boy wanted to compete in the Grail Wars in the first place. He wanted to ensure no one could ever call him weak or a tool ever again! He WAS resolved. Who the Hell did this hero think she was? Legendary or not, the boy was severely tempted to use one of his command spells to show her once and for all who her Master was.

He held out his hand toward her, ready to show her when he realized something...She continued to ask 'Are you my Master?'...

_No. No way it's that simple._

The boy retracted his hand from the seemingly oblivious Servant who continued to file her nails and cleared his throat. The Servant put away the file and turned toward the boy expectantly. The same brightness from before once again flashed in her eyes when she laid them on the boy. He ignored them as he once again spoke.

"My name is Minato Arisato, seventh child and fifth son of Zane Arisato, the head of the great Arisato line of magi." He then sighed as his expression changed to one of slight disappointment. "As the youngest son, despite having great skill in the study of magecraft, I do not have any real accomplishments..." He then once again stood up straight. "But there is one thing I CAN take true pride in. It's the fact that I have summoned you, one of the seven heroic spirits of the Fifth Holy Grail War! And more so in the fact that _I AM YOUR MASTER!_"

There was a brief silence as Minato began to wonder if he had been mistaken in his thoughts. The silence was broken when the Servant smiled softly.

"Ah. It's good to see my Master isn't lacking..." She paused before pressing against her chin. Minato was pleased to here that she had finally acknowledged him as her Master. "In either brains OR looks..." Her expression became slightly hungry looking.

Minato couldn't help but notice the uncomfortable feeling return to him shortly before emptying his thoughts once more. "So you are indeed my Servant as I am your Master. Before anything else, I must ask: What heroic spirit are you?"

"Sshhh." The Servant gently placed a finger against Minato's lips to silence him. It was more of a playful gesture if Minato had to judge by the look in her eyes. "Sorry, Master, but it would be safer to keep my identity a secret for now. Perhaps if you someday guess it..." The expression on her face once again made Minato uncomfortable. "...or if 'something' happens...but for now, I can only tell you the class under which I have been summoned."

Minato once again was forced to empty his mind of the uncomfortable feeling he felt, but he accepted what she had said about needing to keep her identity a secret from everyone (even himself) as to prevent other Servants from getting some advantage over her. "So what class shall I refer to you by, Servant-san?"

The Servant's smile slowly returned. "I am Servant Caster. I am the Servant," Minato didn't move as she came closer to him and began to gently caress his cheek, "who will gladly be yours during this Grail War, Master."

Minato strongly resisted the urge to run away.

_So this is what they call 'bad touch'...I do not like it._

Minato inhaled and exhaled before finally regaining the ability to speak. "Well...alright, Caster." He said, dropping the honorific for her class name. "First things first, we must register ourselves as Master and Servant at the church where the war's supervisor resides."

Caster's expression became one of disappointment. "Right now? I'd rather take a bath right now to rid myself of whatever filth accumulated on my body from the summoning." Minato's sweat dropped. He wasn't sure how to explain the process of summoning to someone who had been summoned and KNOWS first-hand what happens.

He then decided to retake control of the situation. "If we don't register, we'll no doubt be violating the rules and end up with the Mage's Association or the Church on our doorstep. I'd rather play this by the rules for now, Caster. So if you wouldn't mind, we have to head to the church right now." There was an added edge in his voice on that last sentence. Caster appeared to become even more pleased by the authority he tried to exhibit.

"You are certainly an _interesting_ child, Master."

_I really wish she'd stop using that weird tone...It's not pleasant._

Minato smirked. "I've trained most of my life with even everyone else against me in the use of magic. I will also continue to become even more powerful. Powerful enough that I will be the one who is chosen to be the next head of the Arisato."

Caster raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Is that what your wish for the Grail is, Master?" Her amusement ceased when the smirk fell from Minato's face, only to be replaced by a dark expression.

"Let's just go, Caster." Before the Servant could say anything, Minato marched right past her, ignoring the confused look on her face.

As he walked away, Caster couldn't help but notice how cute her Master was as another smile appeared on her face.

_Those eyes..._ She thought._ Those gorgeous eyes...that innocent body..._

She stared hungrily at her Master all the way to the church.

And thus the Servant Caster and her blue-haired Master have been chosen.

For them, the Fifth Holy Grail War has begun.

**And DONE~! I said I was going to do it and I DID IT! That's right. I followed the laws of the universe for once and Minato is TEN. Ten years old. Like I said, a backstory will explain his character for this story. And this is an anti-Persona story. A completely alternate universe. So no Dark Hour or Persona as stated in the little prologue at the top.**

**And ON TO THE SERVANT!**

**Class: Caster**

**Master: Minato Arisato**

**True Name: Nuh uh~! No spoilers~!**

**Gender: Female (But I don't feel comfortable enough to check)**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral (In case you haven't realized, Caster IS a shotacon...I'm gonna milk this joke for as long as possible)**

**Strength: E (As expected of a Caster)**

**Endurance: D (Better than having none at all)**

**Agility: D (Maybe it would be higher if she took off those GODDAMN HEELS!)**

**Mana: A (Hooray for magical abilities! Her one redeeming quality!)**

**Luck: A (...This doesn't bode well for Minato)**

**I'll get the rest of that stuff just as soon as I figure out just what the Hell I'm gonna have her stuff be (in case you haven't noticed, I'm not an expert on the Fate universe and therefore have no idea what other stuff I should put here. I would appreciate it if someone could help me with that).**

**I'd appreciate some feedback on this story but I will not appreciate flames.**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews!**

**Bye-Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2: Master of Caster

**It is time for the second chapter of this legendary story! Let's hear it for more Fate/Stay Night! I just hope I can keep this going. Oh yeah.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's who may exist at a later date.**

**Chapter 2:**

**Master of Caster**

Caster certainly hadn't been what Minato had expected from a Servant. She acted oddly superior and didn't even bother trying to find a different outfit. So Minato couldn't lie and say he wasn't bothered by the stares shot at them by various bystanders. Caster had also ignored Minato's orders to return to her spirit form. It also didn't help that Minato caught her staring at him, one time even licking her lips.

Pompous. Disobedient. Somewhat creepy. Minato was already wishing he had summoned a different Servant.

Minato sighed. By this point, such a thing was impossible and he knew it. Whether he liked it or not, Caster would be his Servant until either he won or either of them were killed. Deep down, he hoped whichever came faster. But the more rational side reminded him of his original reason for wanting to enter the Holy Grail War in the first place. It was worth whatever strangeness or rudeness his Servant dished out if it meant he would be able to win this war and obtain the Holy Grail. He would need to cooperate with Caster if he wanted to stand any chance at winning.

"So tell me, Master, exactly what is this church like?" Caster asked, breaking the pleasant silence Minato had been enjoying up to that point. Minato didn't even bother turning back to face Caster and simply continued to walk.

"Well, it's just like any usual church you'd see. I'm sure you would at least know the basics of what a church is like, Caster."

Caster pondered her response. "Well, I may have a different picture of a church in mind considering I may have had a hand in changing what passed for orthodox religion during my time."

Minato raised an eyebrow. "So you were some kind of priestess? Or just a worshipper?" Amusement flashed across Caster's face.

"I'm afraid that is incorrect, Master." She pursed her lips. "But I will admit it was a good try." Minato ignored her compliment and continued moving forward.

"So I take it you were serious about keeping your identity a secret?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course. Knowing such information may very well put both of us in danger." An idea popped into Minato's head. He spun around on his heels to face the pale-skinned Servant.

She was taken aback by the fact his eyes seemed larger and sparkly...like an adorable puppy. Caster's cheeks flushed as her hands began to tremble slightly, strongly resisting the urge to wrap her arms around her adorable Master.

She quickly composed herself and somehow regained her previous prideful aura. "I'm sorry, Master, but that will not work on me."

Minato didn't cease his 'Puppy Dog Eyes' attack. "Are you sure...Caster-chan~?" Minato put an extra amount of cuteness into that last line. For a moment, by the look in Caster's eyes that she was about to break (and hopefully refrain from attacking Minato sexually). She looked as if she was focusing every last ounce of willpower into keeping from talking. She quickly shook her head, shattering what little hope Minato had at having her reveal her identity.

Minato let his cute expression fade as he closed his eyes and sighed. "While I am more determined than ever to find out your identity, I will let it slide for now, Caster." There was no response. Minato opened his eyes. "Caster?" He leaped back in shock when he saw Caster laying flat on the ground, face red and seemingly unconscious. "Whoops. I think I overdid it with the cuteness."

But secretly, he was happy for the moment of silence that fate had granted him.

* * *

Minato couldn't help but shiver at the feeling the church building itself emanated.

Despite supposedly being a holy place, this particular church permeated an evil stench of death that anyone with any real instincts would be able to sense. It was rather unsettling to Minato despite the fact he's visited several times before for various purposes.

Apparently, Caster also sensed the unholiness that existed on this holy ground and frowned. "Even the churches of my time never felt like this." Minato found himself unable to figure out how to interpret that and eventually chose to let it go.

"That's just the way it is. I'd like to say it gets better after each visit, but..." Minato trailed off before striding forward as he pushed open the double doors that led to the church's interior. The chapel was devoid of any worshippers, which was not surprising considering how early it was. One upside to this was the fact one could fully acknowledge how large the building was and how many people it could seat. There were four rows of pews that divided the floor into three pathways leading to the altar. Caster followed closely behind, guard raised to fight back against any threat at a moment's notice.

"Who are we here to meet, Master?" Caster asked. Minato looked around.

"OI! Mr. Priest! I know you're lurking somewhere around here you creeper! You might as well come out now!" The pair were answered by the sound of footsteps.

"Greetings. I apologize for not receiving you properly, child." Minato didn't react as a tall man in robes befitting a priest appeared beside the altar, coming from what was no doubt a private room. Minato wasn't exactly pleased when he confirmed the man to indeed be Father Kirei Kotomine. If Minato had to say what in the church had the foulest presence, the priest standing in front of him would be his immediate and only answer hands down. Caster was the first person he noticed due to the fact she was a bit (Read: Much) taller than Minato. "So you are the fifth Servant. I am Kirei Kotomine, the one entrusted with this church. May I ask where your Master-"

Minato glared at the man, letting his dislike show like the sun in the sky.

Kotomine hesitated before looking down at the annoyed looking bluenette. A disgusting grin split his face, as if Minato's arrival and role as Master was a pleasant surprise. Knowing that he probably gets off on people's pain, misery, and deaths, Minato didn't doubt it was to him.

"What a pleasure to once again meet the runaway of the Arisato." Minato's eye twitched, but he showed no other response to that comment. Caster gave Minato a questioning look, but said nothing. Kotomine hadn't changed at all since Minato's last visit. His voice, attitude, and his presence...they all still annoyed Minato. This man was able to get under his skin like no other. "So it appears you've gotten your wish as hoped for. After several centuries of practice and training, the Arisato finally managed to produce a Master, regardless of age."

Minato shook his head. "I do not represent those of the Arisato line. I am here for my own goals and reasons as I've stated before. I have summoned my own Servant, not my family's Servant. I am one of the seven Masters of the Fifth Holy Grail War and I've come to register myself." Minato showed Kotomine the back of his hand along with the angelic command spells. "This is my proof of me being a Master."

Kotomine's sick happiness didn't fade for an instant. "Those are indeed command spells. Congratulations on becoming the fifth Master."

Minato nodded. "So including Caster, four other Servants have already been summoned. The War will soon become more dangerous as the last two Masters are chosen." Minato paused. "Don't suppose you could give me a hint as to the other Master's identity?"

"I'm afraid not." He replied non-apologetically. "That would be against the rules, but I will tell which Servants have been summoned. Other than your Servant, Caster, Servants of the Classes Archer, Lancer, Berserker, and Rider have all been summoned."

That was a bit of good news. "So Saber isn't on the battlefield yet?"

"Not to my knowledge." Caster was surprised by the pleased smile that appeared on her Master's face. "If a Servant of the Saber Class has been summoned, neither they nor their Master has registered."

"So that leaves time to track down Saber's Master and eliminate him before he gets the chance to summon a Servant." Minato stated, rubbing his chin.

"I hope that you do remember that the existence of magi as well as that of the Holy Grail War must kept secret at all costs. Keep that in mind in whatever you plan." While it sounded like Kotomine wanted Minato to follow the rules, it was clear he could care less if he found some entertainment in whatever happened. That was the kind of man Kirei Kotomine was. "As the supervisor, it is my duty to fully inform you about the War even if you've heard this once before. As I'm sure you've heard, the Holy Grail War is a battle royale between seven pairs of Masters and Servants whom they have summoned for the War. All of these participants put their lives and honor on the line-"

"-for the greatest of holy artifacts: The Holy Grail. The Grail is said to bestow upon the winning Master and Servant of the War any single wish. While there is no guarantee it is the genuine article, it still possesses and impressive amount of power and so on and so forth." Minato waved off the rest of the priest's monologue, bored. "I've heard it several times back home. It was the main reason me or any of my siblings were born. A clan devoted towards progress and nothing more. That is the only reason our clan was supposed to exist." He said that last part with a hint of disgust. "For several centuries, the main goal of our family was to successfully enter the Grail Wars and this Grail War I have done just that. But I will be fighting for myself rather than those fools. Understand?" It sounded like he was talking to himself rather than Kotomine, but said priest nodded.

"Regardless of motivations, I hereby accept you as a Master of the Fifth Holy Grail War. So, Minato Arisato, Master of Caster and youngest of the Arisato, do you have any questions?"

* * *

Minato released a sigh of relief as he and Caster walked down the steps of the church.

"Thank goodness. Any longer and I'm sure the atmosphere would've suffocated me." He shot a grateful glance at Caster. "I appreciate you keeping yourself behaved, Caster." He didn't stop walking as they headed back to his house, thankful that the streets were much emptier than they were earlier.

Caster raised an eyebrow. "I do not know what you mean, Master."

"I could SEE you staring at me. If Kotomine honestly gave a damn about a child's soul or humans in general, he most certainly would've called the police or whoever is in charge of that kind of thing. It would've been quite a problem to try to explain this." Minato sighed. "After spending so much time in that place, I feel the odd need to shower."

Caster smiled, her hands twitching slightly. "I too would enjoy a bath, Master. We can bathe together and I can wash your back."

Minato felt a chill. He shot a glance back at Caster who quickly hid her hands behind her back. "I'll pass." Behind his back, he was positive that Caster was reaching out to touch him. "Caster, I WILL use a command spell on you."

Caster pouted before withdrawing her hands again. "So what is our plan, Master?"

"We have to scout out the other Masters of course. We must find their identities if we are to fight and win this battle."

"Where do we start?"

Minato shook his head. "We start by going home. I dispatched familiars long before I summoned you in case the ritual was successful (successful being relative by this point)."

"Pardon, Master?"

Minato turned away. "Nothing. Let us return for the night, Caster. We will wait until either a Master willingly reveals themselves or are scouted out by my familiars."

"As you wish...the offer for the bath is still open." Caster said hopefully.

"No." The young child replied a second later.

* * *

The bluenette sat at the desk in his study, going through one of his many books containing different accounts of Holy Grail Wars of previous times.

The silence caused by Caster taking to the baths was welcomed as well as incredibly pleasant. She seemed awfully excited when she noticed not only was it more of a leisure-sized bath but also the various soaps and shampoos that Minato had gotten. Apparently she was one for the finer things. If it kept her out of Minato's hair for a while, he didn't care.

Of course he became even more frustrated with the fact that all of the accounts of the Fourth and previous Grail War were inconsistent and the information was scarce as it was. The other Wars had plenty of information that proved out-of-date and worthless by this point. It was the Fourth War that interested Minato the most because there was no proper account as to how it ended or even the names of all of the Masters. Perhaps it was the mystery and the challenge of trying to figure out what happened.

"What exactly happened ten years ago...mother?" The fire that occurred ten years ago was one of the worst disasters that had occurred in all of the history of Fuyuki. With the fire and the War conveniently happening within the same time period raised much suspicion. Whether it was caused by some reckless Master or if it really was a freak accident was unknown. To Minato at least. If any of his family knew the truth, they kept it secret along with many other things. Even though it claimed the life of one of their own. While Minato was the seventh child, he was the only child of his mother...just the thought of his father made him feel disgusted with his bloodline.

After yet another fruitless search through another book of history, Minato found himself staring into space, wondering what the current Grail War would hold in store for him.

"The three families: Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matou...no doubt they already have roles in this battle so that would answer who three Masters are...but would they hold the answers to my questions?"

Minato went into deep thought. They are the founders or the Grail Wars and members of their families have taken part in each and every one. If anyone could answer his questions, it'd have to be one of them.

_In the end, it's all just a step to becoming the greatest magus in existence._

* * *

_Caster's POV..._

Caster let out a pleased sigh as she rested herself in the bath she had drawn.

The 21st century would never cease to amaze her.

The thing that amazed her most was her Master. He was small, yet so gorgeous and innocent. The only thing off-putting about him was the fact he continued to resist her charm and beauty entirely despite how badly he really wanted her.

Of course, as he still had the mentality of a child, he was worried about touching her out of fear of punishment so she had no choice but to forgive the boy.

No matter how much Caster tried to coax him out of that shell of fear, he continued to resist her. Oddly, it made him seem so much more attractive. It was such a shame that his emotions kept him from giving into his true desires on a whim...

...but if she gave him a REASON to allow himself the pleasure, it would be so much easier.

Say, if she and HER familiars were to locate one of the seven Masters and give the information to him, he could call it a reward for both himself for summoning such a beautiful and powerful Servant and for her because she was simply so intelligent.

Just the thought of his pure and innocent body made her shiver. She had never felt this way about any man she had known before...but her Master WAS JUST SO CUTE!

It made her less ashamed of her previous fainting episode when her Master was showing his TRUE feelings toward her. Those eyes...She would gladly give her life if the image of those eyes could be forever burned into her memory so she could remember them even in the afterlife. Caster closed her eyes as she let her mind take hold of one of her familiars. Crafted by her own hands and magical ability.

She already had her own little spy network.

She would find and slay each and every Master and Servant if it meant she could give her Master a reason to do what he obviously wanted to do to her the moment he laid his gorgeous eyes on her own beauty that rivaled his own.

She would win this Holy Grail War.

And she would win her Master.

But for now, she'd enjoy this bath from the advanced 21st century.

* * *

Minato felt another chill. He looked up from his book to look around the room.

"Did it just get colder in here?" He tapped his chin pensively.

_Maybe I should turn the heater on..._

He shook his head, not wanting to waste...money (and most certainly not magic spent towards hypnotism) on something so trivial.

"The only thing that remains is to locate the members of the three major families who are participating. They will prove to be the most difficult Masters. All the other magi in this city are probably third-rate and pathetic."

* * *

Elsewhere, Shirou Emiya felt a strange sense of wounded pride.

He quickly shook his head and ignored the feeling.

_I could have sworn someone was insulting me a moment ago..._

**Done! Don't worry, I plan to start the serious crap next chapter! And...yeah. I could use help creating a proper character sheet for Caster...Yep. The canon will kick off next chapter!  
**

**I thank you for the reads and reviews!**

**Bye-Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3: The First Day's Plans

**I hope you've all enjoyed the story thus far! Let's hope I can keep it up! ON WITH THE NEXT CHAPTER!...**

**...but before that, there's something we need to discuss. Questions I need to answer.**

**For people bugging me about update, CHILL! It's the holidays. Cut me some slack. Updates will be done when they get done, get it? And for people bugging me about bringing back stories: No. My choice. Deal with it. I'm not arguing the issue anymore. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's who may exist at a later date.**

**Chapter 3:**

**The First Day's Plans  
**

_Minato could only use one word to describe his dream that night: Different._

_Not weird or creepy. Just different._

_He occasionally ended up dreaming of the trials he faced during his training as a magus or perhaps reliving the night he overheard his family's plan to betray him. Sometimes he would even have a nice pleasant dream. It was usually vague, but he could never forget it._

_The smile. The warmth. The kind, beating heart of his mother._

_But it was none of those dreams for this was more of a third-person point of view._

_He saw a woman. They were on the shore of some coast or beach because the woman was waist deep in water and coming closer to the shore. The sounds of a town or something could be heard. He could just barely make out elf-like features on the woman's face as well as a solemn facial expression. She was pretty to say the least._

_Pretty? Why did he think that? It was such a unimportant detail that he'd usually ignore in a person._

_When the woman came closer to the shore, he noticed that she didn't seem to be swaying at all like she was walking through the water. It was more like she was gliding through it...like walking without using her legs.  
_

_The swimming woman also appeared to be carrying a bundle wrapped in a blanket with her. You didn't have to be a genius to guess what it was._

_But why was she carrying it in the water? It didn't make any sense. Why would she put her baby in danger like that?_

_The scene was disrupted somewhat when a larger than the previous small waves washed over both the mother and the baby. When the scene came back into focus, the baby bundle had somehow made it onto the dry land while her mother had somehow already turned back toward the water._

_Wait. Where was she going? Why was she just leaving her baby there?_

_Said baby's cries began to be heard in the distance as she wailed at the top of her lungs, crying for her mother to return._

_Why was she leaving? Why isn't she coming back?_

_Come back. Come back! You can't just leave her there!_

_The baby's screams became even louder, but the mother didn't even glance back. Her expression held no love or sympathy as she dove into the water, a small, fish-like tail fin appearing above the surface before following after the owner. Out of the corner of his vision, he could make out small, white birds approaching the baby. Doves. But he immediately focused his attention back to the mother.  
_

_Why was her mother leaving? Why? Why won't she come back?! What did the baby do?!_

_Come back. Come back! COME BACK!  
_

_Why won't she_-

* * *

"Oh, Master~!" Minato woke up to the sensation of someone repeatedly poking his cheeks (the ones on his face, thank God). "It's time to wake up~!"

Minato's eyes twitched as he debated whether or not to wake up. And after several minutes of mental debate:

_Eh. A few more minutes won't kill me._

Minato then allowed his consciousness drift a little.

"If it's alright for me to see you naked, say absolutely nothing~!" interrupted the voice, forcefully dragging him back to reality.

Minato opened his eyes and glared slightly at the owner of the finger that was still poking his face. "Even attempt it and I will kill you, Caster."

His Servant standing by his bedside smiled cheerfully, most likely taking it as a joke...but it wasn't.

Minato WOULD murder her. Quite brutally in fact. But there was no need to say it out loud.

"So you WERE awake, Master." Caster didn't cease her poking of his face. Minato sighed as he sat upright in his bed.

"Why are you even in here? I gave you the guest room." Caster's smile became predictably more sensual. She began to trace a line on Minato's sheets as Minato sat upright and crossed his arms.

"Well, it gets a little lonely, Master...just me all by my lonesome in that big, empty room." Minato, meanwhile, was checking himself just in case to make sure he was indeed still wearing the pajamas he had fallen asleep in. He let out a sigh of relief when he found it was as such.

"And what do you want me to do about it?" He asked mercilessly. Caster smiled before placing one knee on the bed as she scooted her face closer to Minato's, leaving a taunting distance between them.

"Maybe you could keep me company, Ma-"

"No." Minato shot back quickly before moving out of her range and toward the side of his bed. He placed his feet on the floor before sighing. Now that he was able to clear his mind, his thoughts wandered back to his dreams.

The mother with the elf-like ears and the child she left on the shore. Something told Minato that the mother never came back for her child...

But something seemed familiar...

Minato glanced at Caster and just at that moment noticed her somewhat pointed, elf-like ears. Minato's eyes widened a little.

"Something wrong, Master?" came Caster's voice, genuine concern (or possibly just curiosity) sneaking into her tone. It took Minato a few minutes to realize his glance at turned into an examining stare. After the immediate concern faded, her previous smile returned. "Or perhaps you wanted a show?"

Minato turned away, resisting the urge to spit. "As if." He opened the closet door and began going through his clothes. "Go wait in the living room, Caster. For us, the Fifth Holy Grail War begins. We're going to have to go start the search for other Masters and Servants today."

Caster bowed. "As you wish, Master." For once she obeyed. Perhaps she was finally starting to get serious about this...

"But feel free to come out naked if you wish~! I won't judge~!"

...or perhaps not.

* * *

Minato came into the living room wearing a plain, light-blue t-shirt and cargo pants. Caster was sitting on one of his couches, sipping tea (which he would never learn where she got it from) from her teacup (which he would also never learn the origins of).

She looked up from her tear to give her Master a welcoming look. "You look quite stunning, Master."

Minato, as expected, ignored her compliment. "Now that you've had time to adjust to my home, it is time to go out and familiarize yourself with the city. As is natural during a war to learn the battlefield. While we are out, we will also be searching for other Masters and Servants. It shall be my job to feel them out or sense them to put it another way."

Caster continued to silently sip her tea, nodding to assure him she was paying attention.

"So we will be going out in public today, Caster." Caster nodded again. "And we'll need you to keep out of sight as to prevent people from questioning your appearance." Another nod. "So you'll need to be in spirit form until tonight." Another nod. Now Minato was suspicious. "You're not listening are you?" Another nod. She seemed deeply focused on something else.

Minato took a deep breath before trusting himself not to use a command spell to murder Caster. His pride and patience could only take so much. He inhaled...

"CASTER!" Caster jumped in her seat as if snapping out of some kind of trance. She turned to Minato as if just noticing his presence.

"Oh, hello Master." she greeted rather nonchalantly. Minato sighed, tapping his foot.

"You're going into spirit form for the day, understand?" Caster pouted. She shook her head.

"I refuse."

"Not a choice here, Caster." Minato stated, rejecting her refusal. Caster looked away, not giving any ground.

"I have been gifted with this body for a reason. If I must have to hide my beauty in front of measly commoners, then what is the point in possessing it?"

Minato massaged his temples. "I didn't summon you to be beautiful. I summoned you to win a war."

For once, Caster didn't seem to be in much of a joking mood. She seemed genuinely upset. "While our overall objective may be the same, Master, I prefer to do it in MY own way. The summoner of the Servant is nothing more than a supply for prana as well as a source of information. As the Servant who is actually doing the fighting in the war, I am the one who holds the most power. With all due respect, Master, I believe I am the one who is the more powerful. Especially considering you are just a child."

Minato's jaw dropped. He was being treated as inferior...BY A SERVANT! His expression changed from shock to anger at that last sentence.

_"What would a weak brat like you know? Stay out of the way!"_ This was what came to mind. It only served to fuel his rage.

_HOW DARE SHE?!_

Minato pointed his hand toward Caster, who was surprised by the gesture. "Master, what are you-?!"

Minato was clenching his teeth so hard, they might've cracked. "'Weak', am I? 'Just a child', am I?" Caster began to worry at the amount of pure rage dripping from Minato's words. "Well you forget, SERVANT, that I am the WEAK CHILD who possesses three command spells that can make you do anything. Perhaps it's time I remind you of that."

Caster began to realize the situation she put herself in as she raised her hands in an attempt to stop her Master from doing something too rash.

"N-Now, Master, perhaps we can just talk about this." For once she was afraid. Afraid of the Master she had originally thought harmless and adorable. But he was far from it now.

"What is there to talk about?" Minato asked mockingly, a small smile on his face. His command spells began to glow a bit brighter. "I'll show you the true power of your Master!" Caster's mind began to run through numerous worst-case scenarios.

"Caster! As your Master, I order you to..."

* * *

Minato was still seething as he made his way through Fuyuki, doing his best to appear inconspicuous after leaving his mansion-like house surrounded by a bounded field.

"Damn it!" He muttered under his breath. "I can't believe I actually wasted a command spell like that!" The last comment earned him a weird look from a passerby who wisely quickened their pace, walking further away from him.

_"Are you alright, Master?"_ asked Caster, who for the first time since their meeting had taken to spirit form.

Minato shot her a glare despite the fact she was currently invisible. "I'm not even going to bother dignifying that with a response." He turned away from her and began to walk faster.

_"...Perhaps at least the command spell was somewhat useful..."_ She wasn't even sure what she was saying. He had wasted it on the command 'I order you to go into spirit form until nightfall.' So not only could it prove to be disadvantageous, it brought them down to two command spells.

Minato could almost feel one of the three sets of glowing wings missing. One of the three 'get out of life and death situation for free' tickets. Spent on a useless order.

It didn't help that Caster began to pester him every five minutes, trying to see if he's calmed down somewhat. Didn't really help his mood.

_"Well, now that it's over, at least we can focus on locating Masters and Servants, correct?"_ Minato didn't respond. Even Caster could see the amount of rage he was still feeling. _"Are you truly this upset over a simple act of insubordination?"_ Minato's fists tightened.

"You truly don't understand anything, do you?" It was more than just the fact his Servant had disobeyed him...she had simply stepped on his pride like it was nothing and she wanted him just to forget it?!

_"Master?"_ But Minato didn't answer. Instead he continued on as if she had never spoken.

"Now to learn the locations of the Masters. We should start off searching places where there are more people like schools and office buildings. The more people, the less opportunity for our opponents to attack as well as the increased chance of finding them. Now I've been sensing one Servant in particular since last night so it's definitely powerful. I'm certain he and his Master are somewhere in the vicinity. Not to mention the reports on the news only increase my suspicions." He rubbed his chin, thinking. "Where should we search first, Caster? School or office buildings?"

Caster's eyes brightened. Perhaps her Master was finally starting to forgive her for whatever she had done. The coldness and anger made her feel sad when his gorgeous eyes became dark with rage. _"Perhaps office buildings would be our best bet."_

"Schools it is then." Minato stated with finality, dismissing the matter. Caster stared.

_"But, Master. What I chose was-"_

"I know what you said." He replied preemptively. It took Caster a few moments to realize what just happened before hanging her head slightly.

This was gonna be a long day.

* * *

The first school they checked was a local one called Homurahara Academy. While Minato would appear out of place amongst high schoolers, it was still a good place to start looking.

He walked past the already open gate into the empty schoolyard. Apparently classes were already in session so searching the school grounds shouldn't be too difficult.

"I already sense Servants nearby." Minato said suddenly. Caster immediately raised her guard.

_"Where are they so I may end their miserable existence, Master?!"_ It was quite clear she just wanted some kind of response that wasn't sarcastic or purposely made to punish her.

Minato shook his head. "It would be foolish to just go in guns blazing especially when we don't know WHO the Master is. Besides, we're already putting enough of a target on our backs by being here. If WE can sense THEM, THEY can most certainly sense US. So the moment the amount of people lessens, we'd best be prepared for a fight."

Minato could hear a small amount of cheer being injected into Caster's voice. _"I don't think so, Master~! I have quite a few tricks up my sleeve~!"_

Minato raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

It was quite clear Caster was beginning to enjoy herself. "It wouldn't be a trick if I gave the entire thing away, but I will tell you that I will not be sensed due to my Presence Concealment ability." Minato's eyes widened.

"Presence Concealment? That's a skill for Assassin. You're a Caster, aren't you?!" It was a good thing no one couldn't hear him from indoors.

_"So therein lays the problem. Who am I really, Master? Am I the Caster pretending to be an Assassin? Or am I the Assassin pretending to be a Caster?"_ Minato glared at the invisible heroic spirit who was clearly messing with him. He did not enjoy it.

"Dammit, Caster. I'm not in the mood for this." Judging from his hostile tone, Caster decided to quit before she made him shut her out completely again. To be shunned by those gorgeous eyes and that beautiful body again would be more than she could bear.

_"If you really want to know my secrets Master, you could always-"_ Caster began to suggest in a..._suggestive_ manner.

"No." Minato interrupted. "But can you guarantee without a doubt that enemy Servants cannot sense you right now?"

Caster's tone became dead serious for just a moment. _"On my honor as a Servant, Master. You, on the other hand, would do best not to draw attention to yourself by doing strange things...such as standing in the middle of the yard of a school you are too young to even attend."_

"You had to pull the age card, didn't you?" Minato asked, annoyed. By this point, Caster was pleased to see what she thought was him forgetting the earlier incident.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Minato just decided to adjust his list of priorities for the moment.

Minato sighed as he looked around. "We'll wait until after school and investigate anyone who stands out."

_"We're just going to wait here?! But that's boring! Minutes will feel like days and hours will feel like years, Master!"_ Caster complained.

Minato hummed to himself, restraining the retort he had been about to spit at her. "Deal with it." He finally said after a bit of thinking. He then walked over to a nearby brush of trees and hid behind one as to properly hide himself should someone wander out the front doors of the schools. He rested his back against the trunk and closed his eyes.

_Behind shrubs and trees in the school grounds? Not the most original hiding spot I'll admit..._

_"Master, may I sit beside you?"_

Minato glanced at the general direction Caster's voice emanated from. He supposed it would be fair to give her a reprieve in light of the fact they would most likely be fighting enemies soon.

"Very well. But do not disturb me." He had no idea if she replied in any way or if she even sat down. He wasn't sure if he even cared. The fighting hadn't even started yet and he was already exhausted.

_"Did what I say earlier truly bother you so, Master?"_ Caster asked out of the blue. Minato was taken by surprise. He had figured she would've dropped that by now with that strange personality of hers. It was so difficult what she was thinking or whether or not she was serious about something. The only part of her behavior that was anywhere near consistent was her strange need to make advances toward him even though he was a ten-year-old boy.

"Just drop it." Minato ordered, starting to get annoyed again. The bad memories were beginning to boil over again. The memories he despised because of the people who existed in them.

_"It is."_ Caster observed.

"It's none of your business. Leave it alone." Minato warned a second time. He wouldn't use his command spells again, but he was sure some sort of punishment was in order for Caster should she continue.

_"If so, then I wish to apologize."_

"I said-!" Minato stopped when he processed what Caster had said. "What?"

_"I wish to truly apologize. I can see in your eyes that I have wounded your very pride as a living being..."_ Minato was shocked by how accurately she was able to read him. _"I, too, know the pain of such an injury. I am deeply sorry, Master."_

Minato gave her a stare of suspicion, waiting for some sort of inappropriate remark or sexual comment. Perhaps some sign that it was all an excuse to save her own ass...but found nothing.

Minato shrugged it off as he curled up into a ball. "It's not a big deal anymore." And this time, he was genuine. "Caster...I wish to sleep for a while. Will you wake me up once the students are released?" He immediately considered taking it back because he could literally sense the Caster-style smile on Caster's face.

_"As you wish, Master."_

Minato was pleased there was no further comment and proceeded to close his eyes. "The Servants are biding their time as we are. Be prepared for battle...at any moment." Minato wrapped his arms around his legs as he slowly drifted off into unconsciousness. "And if I find my clothes are somehow missing from my body, I will murder you."

He could tell Caster was suppressing her giggles as he slipped off into a mild slumber.

* * *

Minato's nap was thankfully dreamless. He already had enough to think about with the whole weird 'mermaid-and baby' dream. He didn't need anything else.

He finally managed to catch up with the sleep he missed earlier that morning. It was nice...

...until someone decided to wake him up.

It was faint at first. A slight nudging. Minato ignored it and tried to go back to sleep.

"Hey, kid. Are you alright?"

Minato knew he had to get up when he recognized the voice as one that wasn't Caster's or his own. Minato popped one eyelid open to see the face of an older looking boy (or would it be man by this point?) staring at him sideways, concern very apparent in his expression. This caused the boy some confusion until he turned his gaze left and realized he was staring at the ground now.

He eventually came to the conclusion that he somehow slid away from the tree and came to a rest on the hard ground.

_Dammit, Caster. I thought I told you to wake me up!_

Minato stood up and brushed himself off. "I thank you for waking me up."

The high schooler still seemed concerned. He had short, red hair and brown eyes and he wore what Minato assumed was the standard uniform for this school. He seemed rather in-shape. "Are you sure you're okay? I don't think it's healthy for you to just fall asleep in random places." Minato blinked at the student. Why was he so concerned? He didn't even know him.

Minato sighed. "I am quite fine." Still concerned. What was with this guy? "I was just waiting for someone."

"Were you waiting for your older brother or sister? Do they go to this school?" The red-head asked like it was any of his business.

"Yes. But I believe even though my friend promised she'd wake me up to go see them," Minato shot a glare around him to make sure Caster didn't miss it wherever she was. "So I suppose I'll be going home now." He lied. Judging from the fact he could see other students walking out the front gate, school was over so it would be a perfect opportunity to search for Masters. But it lead to the question of how long he had been asleep and why the Hell Caster didn't wake him up.

The red-head sighed in what may have been relief. "Well...Just be careful getting home. Your parents are probably worried about you." Minato stabbed his arm behind his back with his nails to keep from saying something nasty to this unnaturally polite person who simply misunderstood Minato's presence there.

"I'll be sure to do that." Minato replied. The older boy patted Minato on the head like he was some kind of child (a childish child unlike the mature child he was).

"OK then." The red-head started to walk away, leaving Minato feeling weird. While for a moment, when he patted Minato on the head, it seemed like he was making fun of him, but Minato felt otherwise for some reason. It hadn't been unpleasant really. It was actually kinda nice.

"Hey, mister!" Minato asked, resorting to a more fitting tone of voice for a ten-year-old. The red-head turned slightly to glance confusedly. "What's your name?"

"Emiya. Shirou Emiya." Minato smiled slightly.

"OK then. See you later, Emiya-san!" Minato waved good-bye as the person identifying himself as Emiya Shirou walked back to go do whatever he had planned on doing before waking Minato.

_Emiya...I think I'll be sure to remember that name._

Minato then began to scan his surroundings. "Caster!" He shouted in a whisper. "Caster, where are you?!"

_"Here, Master."_ She replied right in his ear, causing him to jump. Minato turned to glare at the invisible Caster.

"Why did you not wake me up when students started leaving?" He asked in a very annoyed tone, much different from his previous, fake tone of voice.

_"Because,"_ Caster said as if it was obvious. _"you are just so ADORABLE when you're sleeping."_ Minato's glare strengthened. _"You know you kick like a cute puppy when you're asleep?"_

"You're exaggerating."

_"Am I, Master?" _She taunted. _"Am I really?"_

Minato stopped himself before this conversation drove him insane. "Let's change the subject. We're here to search for other Servants, are we not?"

_"Indeed we are, Master."_

"And we are not doing that right now because?"

_"Because we are having a pleasant conversation about how cute you are right now, Master."_

"...Just...just...please be quiet for now, Caster."

_"As you wish, Master."_

Minato stared up towards the sky. While the sun was indeed starting to set, it was still a little ways til nightfall. "We don't have much time until the gloves are off. We'd better get started."

* * *

It was amazingly easy to sneak and weave through the area without being stopped or questioned.

Other than Emiya Shirou, no one at all questioned the presence of a ten-year-old, blue-haired child. It made him question the security of this school and why a Master would be based here.

Getting inside the actual school building was even easier. All of the teachers were either busy finishing up last minute reports, outside, or already headed home.

The perfect infiltration...

...if not for Caster's constant talking. Usually over irrelevant of perverted things. No matter what room or person they passed by, the couldn't pinpoint any of the Servants' locations.

It was more of a nagging feeling by this point. Minato, although without evidence, knew without a fact that there was a Servant somewhere on the school grounds.

"Caster, have you had any indication on where a Servant would be located?"

_"No. As you've said before. Once night falls and there are no witnesses, THEN they will strike...I do not believe there is much we can do until then."_

Now that Minato thought back, it totally rendered this entire venture pointless...all he's done is sleep and walk...It was rather shameful when he thought about it.

And in the end, all there was to do was wait. What kind of Master had such an antisocial lifestyle that they have the time to wait around a school building all day doing nothing just to see if they could get a bit of luck?

* * *

On the roof of said school, Rin Tohsaka sneezed.

* * *

Minato rubbed his temples. "I suppose we should hide in one of the classrooms until someone does SOMETHING."

_"So, to where then, Master?"_

"To the classroom." Minato nodded.

_"To the classroom?"_

"To the classroom." Caster was no doubt hanging her head in disappointment.

_"You know, Master...if you let me come out of spirit form, we'll be all alone~!"_ As Minato poked his head into one of the empty classrooms to ensure that it as such, he didn't pay much attention to her statement.

"Caster..."

_"Yes, Master?"_

"Go wait outside the door please." He ordered calmly as he walked into the room. He was certain Caster was pouting again.

_"But are we not preparing to engage enemies?"_ asked Caster. _"Wouldn't it be best to remain together and devise a plan of attack? As I'm sure you've realized, Casters do not generally possess much power. I was waiting to see if you had some sort of plan when you brought me here."_

Minato opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. He had literally walked here with no plan whatsoever. While he blamed himself for forgetting everything after using his command spell to punish Caster, he also blamed Caster for good measure.

"Well...what can you do then? I need to know your abilities if we are even to devise a strategy..." He then rubbed his chin as Caster didn't reply. "You said you possessed Presence Concealment, correct?"

_"Yes, Master. I could most likely quite literally just walk up to my enemies and place a dagger in their necks. But I will admit, who could possibly ignore this beautiful face?"_ From the brief pause, Minato assumed she was gesturing to her overall appearance.

"I wish I could ignore your presence in general." He muttered. He then continued as if he hadn't said anything before. "So if they cannot sense you, then perhaps we should observe and wait for an opening..." Minato wasn't usually like this. He was much more collected and always took in the situation beforehand and planned before...this woman really threw him off track...

_"Very well, Master."_ Caster announced. _"But do you truly wish to win this battle should we be attacked?"_ Minato immediately nodded.

"More than most anything."

_"Then let us speak strategy."_

* * *

A few hours later, their discussion was cut short by the sounds of explosions and fighting.

Minato jumped to his feet and looked around. "Caster?" He turned to see the raven-haired Servant finally materialize next to him.

"They've come." She stated, a serious look in her eye.

"Then shall we interfere?" Minato asked with a devilish smile sneaking onto his expression. He then scowled, realizing such a thing didn't befit him.

"Let's."

**Chapter is over! Yeah...kinda lost my inspiration near the end, but it's done. Decided to stop now and continue with the big confrontation between Archer and Lancer thing with a twist next chapter. Sorry. Too much dialogue, not enough funniness or action, I know...I will commit seppuku out of the dishonor I have caused you...*DEAD.  
**

**So yeah, figured I'd have Shirou pop up at some point in the chapter. He'll have a more prominent role next chapter with the role of the guy who gets speared by Lancer.**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews!**

**Bye-Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4: First Day's Battles

**Here is the next chapter and stuff...I hope you all enjoy and stuff...Caster will finally be doing something at least...I think...I don't know. Starting to lose my ability to write for a bit...no it's back...let's just get this over with.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's who may exist in the future.**

**Chapter 4:**

**First Day's Battles**

Minato watched the conflict unfold before his eyes.

The flashes of red and blue that were enemy Servants really threw themselves into the fight, their individual blades colliding every now and then only to be pushed back by the other. The Servant Lancer and the Servant Archer as they introduced themselves as. While he admitted it was rather odd for an Archer to wield SWORDS with such skill, it mattered not since if his and Caster's plan succeeded, both Servants would be dead by their feet before the night was through.

"Quite the interesting fight, isn't it, Master?" Caster appeared beside him, looking down at the two opposing Servants from the rooftop they stood on. The roof of one of the school buildings gave them a great vantage point over their opponents.

Minato nodded before his eyes darted to the girl wearing red who stood on the sidelines as her Servant, Archer, fought. The entire battle he had been thinking about whether or not he should kill her should the plan succeed. While she was indeed an enemy Master, it seemed cruel to kill her when her Servant was already dead. "Are you done with your preparations, Caster?" Secretly, he couldn't help but appreciate how effective her Presence Concealment was considering enemy Servants were literally right in front of them.

"Yes, Master. Be ready to fight. I am positive this will not kill them, but it WILL slow them down enough that we do have more of a fighting chance."

Caster held out her hands in front of her. It was only now that Minato got a good look that he noticed that the two straps attached to the part of her sleeves near her hands were really one long strap.

While it was a questionable fashion, Minato chose to keep silent for the moment as Caster prepared her attack. Minato could sense the amount of prana she was storing up as she focused it into a single form. As the two Servants clashed again and again, Minato almost felt sorry. Like him and even Caster, they had reasons for entering the Holy Grail War. Wishes they wanted granted. Wishes that would never be fulfilled.

It was a good thing he wasn't ENTIRELY sorry.

Caster's presence was still ignored at the two Servants continued their battle. They didn't even notice when it had started raining overhead...only there were no rainclouds. And it only seemed to affect the area the three occupied. They only noticed when a strange mist seemed to rise from the ground.

* * *

Rin Tohsaka had to admit that the battle hadn't been going particularly badly.

While she had been surprised that Archer had been able to wield swords so efficiently, those skills had given the fight an equal ground. If he hadn't already introduced himself, she might've assumed he was a Saber for all the skill he possessed wielding his twin blades. It was a fight expected of two of the three Knight Classes despite that. While she would've liked to say Archer was easily beating Lancer, it was still too early in the fight to decide. While Archer was able to defend or parry against each of Lancer's thrusts, Lancer was fast and either did likewise or dodge the attack entirely.

From what Archer said, he already had a suspicion as to the identity of his opponent. So she would assume he might have eventually found a way to soundly defeat Lancer...

...had not their fight have been interrupted by the strange mist that began to envelop the ground.

It seemed to sudden to feel normal.

She turned her attention back to the fight and noticed the changes almost immediately. On the last blow, Archer seemed slower to react. While he successfully parried Lancer's strike, it seemed more last minute than anything. Lancer also seemed affected slightly. While not as badly as Archer, his reflexes also seemed slightly slower and more energy-taking.

It took her a few seconds for her to put it together. "Archer!" She covered her mouth to prevent whatever poison it was from entering her body, if it hadn't already.

Said Servant quickly covered his mouth with his sleeve. "Poisoned mist, huh?"

Lancer seemed annoyed as well. "What trick is this, Archer?!"

Archer kept his cool as he began to multitask by looking around for the source of the mist that appeared to be poisoning them. "It appears we have unwanted company." Both heroic spirits turned their attention to a nearby rooftop where they finally noticed the mature woman standing next to (almost in front of) a young, blue-haired child.

* * *

Minato was gonna be blunt. When he saw the two Servants immediately turn in his and Caster's direction, he felt his heart leap into his throat from the fright.

He struggled to get the emotion of fear under control. He had never actually been in an actual battle zone. Of course he wouldn't be fully prepared.

But he was determined to overcome this fear. Even if his opponents would be heroic spirits from hundreds of years ago who would like nothing better than to stab or cut him open. If he wanted to get the Holy Grail, it would be worth his life...

He would admit the thought of it was rather disconcerting. "I thought you said they wouldn't notice its presence, Caster." He said with a slightly a flat tone.

Caster wagged a finger at her Master. "I said they MIGHT not notice it until it was too late."

Minato face-palmed. "Well you should've put more emphasis on it. Our whole plan hinged on the success of a sneak attack on badly injured and still poisoned enemies." He tried not to let his worry/fear sneak into his voice. "What do we do now, _your highness._"

She clearly did not pick up on the sarcasm as she smiled. "Shall we go to greet them, Master? Surely we still stand some chance if they have already been infected."

Minato shook his head. "No. We'd best retreat while we still can."

"If you don't feel like coming down, I'll come up there and fight you myself, coward!" shouted a rather irate Lancer.

Caster kept her usual smile, but Minato stepped back when he noticed a malevolent aura surround her. Apparently she's one to take insults personally. She turned her expression to Minato. "It appears we have _no choice_ but to engage our opponents now, Master."

Minato stared at her like she was crazy (not impossible considering she most likely was). "You're a Caster! How are you supposed to beat a Lancer OR an Archer?!" She had acted silly or weird before, but Minato was putting his foot down when it came to her stupidity. Caster silenced Minato's complaints by placing a finger to his lips only for him to smack her hand away, annoyed.

"Don't worry, Master. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

Minato gave her a dubious look. "Any of them that work in close quart-AAAAH!" He gave a shout of surprise as Caster lifted him up bridal style (much to his endless embarrassment) and leaped from the rooftop, somehow landing safely on solid ground several feet away from the two main combatants. Minato had no choice but to wrap his arms around Caster's neck to avoid being dropped at least two meters from the ground and it was clear from Caster's creepy smile that he was going to regret it. "NOT A WORD!" Caster nodded, still smiling.

"Identify yourself!" Ordered Archer's red-wearing Master. Minato took an instant disliking to her for some reason. Minato broke free from Caster's grasp and landed successfully on his feet.

Caster's expression became much more tame than it was before. Rather than happy, annoyed, or perverted, it was more polite than anything. She grabbed the sides of her dress and curtsied. "I am Servant Caster. A pleasure." Minato couldn't help but notice one of her hands slip behind her back. He saw it wrap around the handle of something short and sharp. Archer, noticing as well, prepared his own sword in case she attacked.

Neither ever got the chance.

"You're a woman?" asked a surprised Lancer. There was a long silence as everyone was instantly able to tell he had just entered dangerous waters. Caster shot him a sharp grin.

"Yessssss. Is there a problem with that?" Lancer, clueless as to the malicious aura behind that smile, shrugged.

"It's just that from faraway, I thought-" Minato (and he could see Archer as well) were relieved slightly when he became distracted. Another few words and they were certain they were about to feel the Hell that was Caster's wrath. And that wouldn't be pleasant by any means. "Who's there?!"

All of their gazes were immediately drawn to a lone figure. A student who had the misfortune of stumbling upon this little 'get together'.

The moment the poor fool realized Lancer's gaze was set to kill his target, he ran.

Everyone was too slow to react as Lancer leaped into the air, ready to chase after his target. Minato was slightly miffed.

"Hey! Get back here!" He shouted against his better judgement. He noticed Caster was frowning and immediately became worried.

"Master, didn't that boy seem familiar?"

Minato stared at her, thinking back to the student who ran. Something about him HAD seemed familiar...Wait a minute...

Minato's eyes widened. "Let's go after Lancer, Caster!" He ordered. Caster nodded before she scooped up the INCREDIBLY unwilling Minato into her arms and ran off.

"HEY!" objected the black-haired girl. Minato, who would've done the same regardless of the situation, ignored her as Caster ran much faster than he'd assume a woman wearing heels could. Not as fast as, say an Assassin Class Servant, but fast nonetheless.

Minato couldn't help but feel worried...which annoyed him considering the person he thought he might be worrying about was someone he met only recently. He shouldn't care anyway_..._

_Why the Hell wasn't the school empty in the first place?!_

* * *

Caster had followed Lancer's trail all the way to the second floor of one of the school buildings.

"Come on, Caster!" ordered Minato, who had accepted his fate of embarrassment being carried by Caster...as demeaning as it was.

"I wish you would try running in these heels, Master!" She retorted.

_So it IS uncomfortable...the price women pay for fashion..._

He quickly ended that train of thought before he ended too far off topic. But he made a mental note to try to get Caster either into sneakers or flip flops...maybe even boots.

They turned the next corner and Minato could've sworn he saw a flash of blue and the glint of some kind of red metal, but his view was limited as Caster quickly covered his eyes. Minato heard a strange squishy kind of noise but was unable to place it.

"Tch! Caster?! What the Hell's the matter with you?!"

"I'll admit, both you and this boy know how to run a long way fast, but in the end, this dead man will tell no tales." came Lancer's confident voice. Minato felt something in his chest sink as the meaning of that expression quickly came to him. He was certain Lancer's blood-red stare was directed towards him. "I'm surprised you came all this way for him. Maybe you'll remember this when we meet again, but for now, my Master is calling me back." The blue-haired child was then able to sense the lance-wielding Servant's departure, which somehow left him with more dread than when he had been present.

"Caster, what did he mean when he said 'this dead man will tell no tales'?" Caster didn't answer and instead tightened her hand over Minato's eyes. "Caster?" Minato carefully pried her hand from his eyes and once again escaped from her arms. When he regained his balance on the ground and looked at the area where Lancer had been standing, he immediately wished he hadn't even followed him.

Laying flat on the ground, most likely dead, was a familiar red-haired teen whom Minato had the experience meeting only earlier that day.

Minato's eyes widened in terror. "Emiya...Shirou...that was your name, wasn't it?" Caster took a step toward Minato.

"Master...?"

"Your name...I managed to remember it even though we've only met once..." Minato rubbed the sweat off his forehead as he began to turn pale. "Even though you had no idea who I was, you were concerned for my well-being...I know you were a good and kind person...so why?" Minato had to close his eyes and focus to keep from throwing up. He had seen corpses before and even people in the process of dying. Animals, people, others...not a single one of them had bothered him other than increasing his hatred toward his own family. But there was a difference between them and this person. "So why did you need to be killed?"

He hadn't known any of them or even their names.

But he had at least known the name of Shirou Emiya and he had somehow let himself think of Shirou as a living, thinking person who probably had hopes and dreams than a nameless, dreamless corpse. "Why? Was your act of wrong place-wrong time really so evil? Was this truly necessary?" It was clear from the fact Minato was staring at Caster that the last question had been directed towards her.

"Master, I-" It hurt her to see Minato like this. More than he could ever know. Her ears perked up at the sound of hollow breathing (as embarrassed as she felt by the act). The sound brought her eyes back to the seemingly dead, red-haired boy.

He was somehow still alive!

Caster then glanced at her Master. The guilt apparent on his expression. He somehow blamed himself for the fate that had befallen this boy. It was an expression that Caster had been surprised to see on his face and even more-so sad that it was possible.

She wanted him to go back to being the rude yet INCREDIBLY ADORABLE child he was earlier.

And his sorrow was tied to this boy dying. So in order to save her Master from his pain, she had to save this boy from his death...by any means necessary. Even if she had to use something important to her.

Without her Master's notice, she pulled something from around her neck. A pendant in the shape of a bird. A dove to be exact.

But one could sense to amount of magical energy stored within it. It was considered a symbol of her power, but nobody had ever known how true it was. Caster walked over to the half-dead red-head and placed the hand holding the pendant over his injury.

She began to whisper something, but Minato was too far to hear her whispers. Instead he settled for staring at Caster in total confusion.

The pendant in her hand began to glow and resonate with Emiya's body. His eyes widened once he realized what Caster was doing.

"Caster-"

Caster turned and smiled lightly at him. "It's alright, Master. There is no need to shed tears. You'll mar that adorable face of yours." She then pulled back her hand and placed the necklace back around her neck. Minato was taken aback by this statement and blushed slightly while regaining his previous angry expression.

"I-I wasn't crying! I just got something caught in my eye!" He excused. He then stared sadly at the comatose Emiya. "And who wouldn't be? Emiya seemed actually like a nice person. One of the many who never deserved to die...and it was my fault he nearly died."

Caster gave a curious look and was about to ask what he meant by 'One of the many who never deserved to die' when they were interrupted by 'guests'.

"Stop right there!" ordered a familiar voice. Minato and Caster quickly turned to see a familiar girl in red staring/glaring at them with caution. Of course her red-clad Servant was standing right beside her.

With a sleight of her hand, Caster drew out three sharp knifes (weapons not befitting of her Class) and launched them at the Servant who easily blocked them.

It had been meant to stall for time anyway.

Caster yet again scooped up Minato in her arms (he was beginning to suspect less pure intentions in the act by this point) and leaped out a nearby window, crashing through the glass and gliding to the ground before taking off, Master in her arms. Minato wasn't sure how much more his pride could take.

* * *

Minato sat on the couch, trying to wrap his head around everything that had happened. It had been a long trip home as Caster was incredibly paranoid.

She had taken to circling back in an attempt to lose the imaginary enemies that pursued them. Archer hadn't even tried to follow after them. No doubt because he saw Lancer as the larger threat.

Even Minato saw Lancer as the bigger threat than him and his Servant. They did seem to be lacking in power from what today had told them. Caster sat beside him, annoyingly brushing her finger along the side of his face.

"I am glad you are no longer sad, Master." she said calmly and genuinely. There was no sexual purring of any kind in it, so Minato had to assume it was genuine.

"What do you care if I'm happy or not?" He snapped slightly. "More importantly, why did you save Emiya?"

"Because my Master's wishes are my own." she replied. "I could not bear the sight of seeing my Master sad."

"But why?" Minato asked again.

"Because you are my Master."

"That doesn't explain anything." Minato complained. He then sighed, admitting defeat as he sensed a circle starting to form in the conversation. "But thank you anyway." Caster's lips curved into a small smile at the first sign of appreciation her Master had shown her since they first met.

"Well if you truly wish to show your gratitude, you could always do a special something for me." Minato's eye twitched.

"Never in a million years even if I was drunk off my ass."

Caster's expression immediately turned serious again. "Master, was it wise to leave that boy at the mercy of that girl?"

Minato assumed she was speaking of Emiya and the red-wearing Master of Archer. "I do not believe she will harm him. If she really is a magus, perhaps she would do well to erase his memories of the event, keeping him safe from Lancer's wrath."

"But he is a witness," reminded Caster. "As I recall, the rules stated that this war must be kept secret and there must be no witnesses. I do not believe Lancer will abandon this hunt quite so easily."

"But if he already thinks Emiya is dead, why would he go after him again?" But it sounded like he was more trying to convince himself than Caster. "However, if it eases your mind, we will go and check up on Emiya." It was clear that despite his pride, Minato WAS worried about the red-haired boy who showed him random kindness earlier. "Be ready for a fight though, Caster."

Caster smirked. "You do not need to worry yourself with me, Master." A shiny knife sparkled in her hand as she twirled it in a circular motion. "I am no stranger to battle."

* * *

Minato was certain they had arrived too late when he heard the sounds of clashing blades. Minato's eyes narrowed as Caster carried him under arm to the location he had pinpointed Emiya's position at.

After ten more minutes, he was certain they had arrived too late when they saw a familiar, blue-clad Servant leaving the scene.

"Caster."

She nodded. "I know."

Lancer, although most likely sensing them as Minato felt his blood-red stare directed at him again, seemed to ignore them as Minato and Caster continued on their way to Emiya's home.

Regardless of what they found, Minato wanted to hang onto that last hope that he hadn't yet failed.

The two of them landed on the ground just in time to see a new face using some a blade of some sort to cut down Archer.

"Archer! Return to spirit form!" shouted out the voice of the red-wearing Master from the school. Minato looked just in time to see Archer vanish into thin air.

Upon closer inspection, Minato was able to see that the newly appeared armor Servant was clearly a woman...who carried an invisble sword.

_Oh shit. She's a Saber isn't she?_

The armored woman then charged at the red-wearing Master who had oh-so foolishly dismissed her Servant. The girl threw something at the woman, but it broke against some kind of barrier around the Servant's body. There was nothing to stop the woman from cutting the Master to ribbons except-

"STOP IT SABER!"

_I effing called it._

Saber stopped dead in her tracks before everyone's attention was drawn to the opposite end of the street...where a familiar red-haired teen stood.

Minato's eyes widened as he stared at the quickly recovered Shirou Emiya.

And then he realized something.

_Wait...if she listened to him and she's a Servant...then that means..._

Minato felt hopelessly lost due to the time that passed between his departure of the school and now so he couldn't help what he said next even if everyone gave him a strange look.

"Just what the BLOODY HELL did I miss?!"

**Done. Yeah that could've been better. I can already see the quality of my writing beginning to slip...but what can ya do? Oh well. So if you're thinking "Why the Hell is a prick like Minato getting so cut up about some random bloke?". Well...in all honesty, there is one life Minato doesn't care about in any way...which will be revealed at a later date. Point is, as stated, after learning Shirou's name and seeing that he seems to be a pleasant person, of course he feels bad even though he's seen death before.**

**Think about it like this: Right now, somewhere in Africa or a poorly cultivated land where people are starving to death, sure people are dying left and right and you are AWARE it is happening, but does it really affect you? Not really. This is because you didn't know that person's name or anything about them so therefore, you do not really feel all that cut up about it other than being 'well that sucks. poor bloke'. Minato let himself see Shirou as somebody rather than a random person, thus causing him to feel pain at his apparent death. And this is the first time someone he knew the name of died so of course he's going to be slightly more emotional than he normally would've been.  
**

**Well enough of that lecture. Onto Caster...yes I know the knife thing seems a little BS even to those of you who've probably figured out who I used by now...but hey. Other than that one attack at the bottom of the wiki that wasn't very descriptive, how the Hell am I supposed to know what she can do? I'm pretty much making this up as I go because I originally figured Assassin was gonna win the poll and instead prepared ideas for that option. This entire story thus far minus events I've made up for the general future is me pulling stuff out of my arse.  
**

**Speaking of Caster:**

**Updated character sheet:**

**Class: Caster**

**Master: Minato Arisato**

**True Name: Nuh uh~! No spoilers~!**

**Gender: Female (But I don't feel comfortable enough to check)**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good (Cos while she is indeed a shotacon, she seems to genuinely care for Minato for unknown reasons.)**

**Strength: E (Yet somehow she has the ability to carry a ten-year-old boy around with one arm...I did, as they say, screwed the pooch on that one, didn't I?)**

**Endurance: D (Eh. Who cares?)**

**Agility: D (But at least she can run somewhat fast and jump across rooftops. How many of YOU can do that?)**

**Mana: A (Only demonstrated one attack and it kinda sucked. Sorry about that. Not exactly sure what attacks she can use. That's still a work in progress)  
**

**Luck: A (...Well she's survived several encounters with Servants already without a scratch on her so clearly something's going on up there.)  
**

**Class Skills:**

**Presence Concealment(?)- B  
**

**Territory Creation-?**

**Personal Skills:**

**...I got jack $#!7. I really need help...**

**That's it for now until I get a single idea on what the Hell I'm supposed to do. Making it up as I go...Could really use some help.**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews!  
**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Seventh Master

**Let us continue with the story and hope it will be better than the last chapter! I hope y'alls be enjoying cos we're finally getting back into the canon.**

**On with the show!**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing except OC's who may exist in the future.**

**Chapter 5:**

**The Seventh Master  
**

Archer wasn't sure what to make of the blue-haired ten-year-old.

Something about him seemed off. It was the fact he didn't remember that child whatsoever. The red-haired boy who he was to kill known as Shirou, Rin, and even Saber were all familiar to him. The blue-haired child, and his Servant for that matter, were not.

He hadn't expected his appearance to be without any effect to the world, but he most certainly hadn't expected a new Master to appear. And since Caster would never summon the irregular Servant Assassin. Which meant that was ANOTHER Servant and Master pair who he would have to be cautious against due to a lack of knowledge on their abilities.

The blue-haired boy who had introduced himself as Minato Arisato also appeared to be a threat as well considering how easily he and his Servant defused the situation earlier.

It was almost frightening.

* * *

_Earlier..._

_Minato had clearly been starting to feel self-conscious after his initial outburst. Even the Servant, Saber, had been staring at him._

_"Another Servant!?" Was just about all Saber got from this as she turned her blade in Minato's direction. While Caster maintained a calm expression, she gently placed Minato on the ground before pushing him behind her again, ready for direct conflict. Saber raised her sword again, but-  
_

_"I said enough, Saber!" came Shirou's shout. Saber seemed to remember his previous request for her to cease her attempt to kill the black-haired girl and halted her blade for just a moment. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife. " You keep talking about this Master stuff, but I have no idea what you're even talking about! __I still don't know who you are or why you're here! But-"  
_

_"And what kind of knight tries to kill her Master's savior without proper reason?" interrupted a voice that had no reason to be in the conversation. Both Saber and Shirou turned in Caster's direction. Minato gave her a blank look as he pondered just what the Hell she was doing. "Now that's not very knightly at all. I suppose honor is a concept that was dead by the time you came around to the world."  
_

_It was clear by Saber's hateful look that she had struck a nerve. "You may question the sharpness of my sword, but don't you DARE question my honor." It was clear that Shirou's command had been the only thing keeping her from letting loose.  
_

_"Then prove it." taunted Caster. "Your Master has ordered you, a knight and a SABER no less, to lower your sword against the defenseless girl and my Master."_

_Saber was clearly conflicted. This woman had dared to question her honor...but her words did hold some truth. Her Master had indeed ordered her to stand down, but it was foolish to lower her sword in front of not one BUT TWO enemies. There was no guarantee they wouldn't take advantage of her lowered guard. Grudgingly, she lowered her sword.  
_

_But she had one question. "What did you mean before when you said you were my Master's savior? Explain."  
_

_Shirou, slightly more relaxed now that Saber wasn't mid-charge anymore, had the same amount of confusion. "I'd kinda like to know about that too. Who are you anyway?"_

_Caster tapped her head as if she just remembered. "Oh how rude of me. My apologies. I am Servant Caster." She curtsied. She then slowly stepped out of the way to reveal Minato. "But I believe it's my MASTER whom you are familiar with."_

_Shirou stared at Minato for several seconds before his eyes widened with recognition. "You! You're that kid I met earlier!"_

_Caster was pleased at the small and relieved smile on her Master's face. "It's good to see you again, Emiya-san. I am glad you have recovered from your wounds from earlier. While you were being healed, I was worried it would've failed and you might end up worse off." He shot Caster a grateful look which she accepted happily with a smile.  
_

_Shirou subconsciously placed a hand over the bloodied hole in his school jacket where Lancer had run his weapon through. "That was you?"  
_

_"It's true. When I found you unconscious earlier in the school," Interrupted the black-haired Master whom Minato still disliked for some reason. "I caught those two moving away from your healed body." Minato had to give her points for being honest. She could've easily lied and have said Minato tried to kill him or taken the credit...but it also troubled him for he had no idea for how long she had been watching...waiting to attack._

_Shirou's eyes widened again as he caught a good look at the third Master at their little gathering. "Tohsaka?" Minato's eyes widened.  
_

_"Did he..." He turned to the girl. "You're a Tohsaka?!" The Tohsaka girl appeared to be confident despite the fact she's surrounded by two other Masters and their Servants. She, however, didn't notice the look of extreme dislike and annoyance that appeared on Minato's face.  
_

_Caster changed the subject with a diplomatic smile. "So, one doesn't have a Servant present, another requires knowledge on the War, and one, my Master, has no wish to fight at the moment. May we all lay down our arms and speak peacefully? Perhaps a, as they say, parley would be in order?"_

_Saber stared at Caster with distrust, Tohsaka appeared to be thinking it over, while Shirou appeared to feel as confused about the entire situation as Minato and just wanted to know what the Hell was going on._

* * *

Minato looked around at their unlikely traveling party.

Shirou and Rin Tohsaka (as Minato later learned her full name) led their group with the Servant, Saber, following closely behind with Minato following them at the back.

During the little talk Caster managed to talk everyone into, he had learned Shirou knew next to nothing about real magecraft or the Holy Grail War. Yet somehow he had summoned one of the most powerful Servants out of all seven Classes. While Minato felt uneasy about helping an opponent, he couldn't leave Shirou in good conscience without at least taking him to learn what he'd gotten himself into. Rin had shared his sentiments and they came to a silent agreement to take him to the one person who could sum it all up...as reluctant as Minato was. While they could explain some things, there was only one person with the power to fully explain the Grail Wars in detail.

But everyone agreed to it, even Saber...whose outfit and state Minato couldn't help but find humorous.

Due to the strange circumstances of her summoning, not only could she not enter spirit form, but she also no doubt was weakened due to her lack (putting it politely) of an experienced magus for a Master. So as she refused to remove her armor, she now wore a yellow raincoat to hide herself.

Minato couldn't help but bring his thoughts back to Caster and who she could possibly be. The way she handled that situation so easily was like that of a skilled politician or leader. Yet she had abilities related to magecraft and assassination. Each time he tried to unravel who she was, he ended up with more questions and more confused than he was before. Regardless, Caster's level of dangerousness did not come from her combat abilities but perhaps her voice and speech abilities. It almost made him wonder if she possessed mystic eyes.

Minato put that on the backburner for now. He was still mentally preparing himself to speak with one of the people he hated most. While he REALLY, really didn't want to go, he owed it to Shirou to help him considering it was Minato's fault in a way that he almost died.

Saber stayed back as Minato and his two fellow Masters walked up the steps to the church where his least favorite priest presided.

Rin took the lead and pushed open the double doors as Shirou and Minato followed in after her. Shirou seemed a little uneasy earlier after learning Minato also had a Servant, but he was apparently waiting for all of the facts before speaking his piece.

"Just how much do you two know about the priest here?" He asked, still perplexed as the girl (whom Minato later learned about) who was his school's idol and the bluenette ten-year-old child he had met earlier that day both possessed magic.

"More than I'd like to." Minato admitted. Tohsaka, on the other hand, had a bit more to say.

"Well, I can tell you he's a magus. He also happens to be my legal guardian," Minato couldn't help but notice how fitting that..."Witch" has some connection to the fake priest. ,"He's also served as my second teacher."

Shirou seemed shocked. Then again, Minato couldn't blame him considering he never met the man. "He's a magus?! You mean this priest is also belongs to a pagan council of mages?"

"Yes. And that's why he can be such a pain in the ass." Minato smirked at the thought that even a member of one of _those_ three families hated the man. "His name is Kirei Kotomine. He was one of my father's pupils. We've basically had to put up with each other for ten years now. We would've had nothing to do with each other if I had my way."

_Ten years since her father died..._ Minato noticed. _Another casualty of the fire?_

But he found it slightly ridiculous for such a magus to be done in by a measly flame. Something else had happened for sure...but it was hard to believe it was a coincidence that a member of one of the three founding families of the Holy Grail War was taken out around the same time one of the greatest disasters to hit this city and-

"And I would've preferred not to have had a student who can't show her teacher any respect." interrupted the guy you would not speaking at one of your relative's funerals. Minato stood next to Shirou and crossed his arms, trying to figure out how long Kotomine was gonna pull the trick where he pretends Minato's too short to notice.

"I've brought the seventh Master to meet and talk with you." Minato's eyes widened.

_Seventh? Assassin's been summoned already?!_

He didn't have time to continue that thought as Tohsaka continued to speak. "He's technically a magus but he's so painfully inept that it pained me to ignore it."

Minato shot her a glare.

_Why did she have to say it in such a way that made her sound like a bitch? Wait...Why do I care?_

Minato felt oddly less safe in that room without Caster by his side. Who wouldn't when they are surrounded by two...three potential enemies? But in order to keep the peace, Minato had been forced to leave Caster outside with Saber in order to convince her he meant no harm towards Shirou.

Yet again he found himself wondering why he was helping out someone without any possible gain for himself. He blamed it on the fact he started considering Shirou as a person after learning his name...like he had done for Tohsaka-

_Dammit! Now it's gonna be a conscience thing when I fight her...Never mind. I still hate her...but she IS technically a human being despite being a Tohsaka...damn you, conscience._

Kotomine was clearly trying to keep up his facade of being a real priest. "Tell me, my son, what would your name be?"

Shirou was clearly unsettled by Kotomine (as Minato believed he had the God-given right to be), but to his credit, he didn't back down. "Shirou Emiya."

For just a moment, Minato saw a hint of familiarity on Kotomine's face at Shirou's surname. Minato had a very bad feeling all of a sudden.

"Emiya..." Minato was unsettled by the creepy chuckle that escape Kotomine's throat. He quickly hid it under an expression of neutrality, something he's had to do so often since he entered the Fifth Holy Grail War. "And you are certain that you are Saber's Master?"

"Far from it!" Shirou objected. Minato wasn't surprised considering he didn't quite understand the prize. "Listen. All this stuff about Masters and Grail Wars, I don't understand any of it!"

"Huh." Kotomine said without any real interest. "Yes that is a problem. Very well. Seeing as this is the first time Rin has ever asked for my help," Shocker! ,"I believe the least I can do for you, Shirou, is to oblige." He then seemed to get serious...well, more serious than he was before at any rate. It gets confusing trying to figure out when he's being serious and when he's just trying to mess with people's heads. "Listen. Being a Master isn't something you can hand from one person to the next. And once you become a Master, you can't just walk away from it either. Those command seals on your hand are a stigmata. The role of Master is a trial that has been awarded to you. You can't turn away simply because it's inconvenient. If you truly want to give up your status as a Master, your only option is to obtain the Grail and make your wish."

"And what wish is that?" Shirou asked, perhaps not understanding what Kotomine was saying.

"It can be ANY wish," Kotomine emphasized. "Any wish that you desire. If you win the Grail, you'll have the rare chance to have the contents of your soul wiped clean. In face, if you wanted, you could even go back in time and start your life all over again. So if you get the opportunity to make your wish and it comes true, you'll be thanking your lucky stars you were chosen to be a Master. If you want to rid yourself of those invisible burns, your only choice is to accept your stigmata."

"Get to the point, you fake priest." Minato interrupted rudely. Tohsaka nodded, apparently agreeing with Minato's words regardless of how they were worded. "The only reason me and this_ Tohsaka_ brought him here was so you could talk to him and keep him from getting butchered." Tohsaka was taken by surprise by how Minato seemed to make it sound like he was insulting her. Mad too.

Kotomine sounded disappointed that he didn't get to drag it out. "I guess I'll cut to the chase then. Here are the underlying principles behind the Grail Wars: It's a series of battles to be fought by seven Masters in conjunction with their Servants. The participants of the War are not chosen simply because they wish to be. They are chosen as part of a ritual to determine who is the most worthy to possess the Holy Grail."

Shirou's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait! You mean the ACTUAL Holy Grail?!"

Kotomine was amused again. "Trust me. When the Holy Grail materializes in this city, it WILL be the genuine article. The miracles performed by Servants should prove that this is real. Servants are beings who approach the levels of high spirits. They are historical figures summoned forth by the Holy Grail and materialize here in physical form. In theory, they are to remain in spirit form and stay close to their Master's side. They are to materialize and fight ONLY when the need arises."

"Yes," stated Tohsaka, "but Emiya's Servant is a bit different. Because her Master is an amateur, she can't take spirit form."

_Coming from the Master whose Servant was nearly killed by the Servant of said amateur._

Kotomine wasn't about to let OTHER PEOPLE'S problems bother him at all, but he could at least try to inform them of possible answers to this situation.

"The Grail's ability to resurrect the dead could easily be considered magic. If the Holy Grail is capable of this power, it's safe to say it can bestow equal or greater power to its beholder. In light of this, questions challenging its authenticity should be moot."

Shirou still seemed uneasy about something. "Alright, I'll assume for now the Holy Grail exists. But why do you have to kill people over it? If it really has all this power, why don't you guys just share it then?"

"A logical question to ask." Kotomine admitted. "Unfortunately, we don't have that choice. The seven Masters are the ones the Grail feels are the most worthy to possess it. And it uses these Wars to determine who is the most capable of all. Everything is carried out by the Grail itself. The selection of the Masters, the summoning of the Servants, all of it. This War is a tradition. It's a time honored ritual where people chosen by the Grail die in an effort to obtain it."

Shirou appeared to be upset by this. "But just because one person can win doesn't mean you gotta kill all the Masters in the process!"

Minato crossed his arms. "Now wait a sec-"

Tohsaka interrupted him and took it away, increasing his dislike towards the girl. "-there's no rule that in order to attain the Grail you have to first eliminate all the Masters." Shirou seemed to be both confused and slightly relieved, but he was still clearly upset about the Grail War. "The Holy Grail is a spiritual object. A human can't even touch it. Only Servants who are also spirits can have contact with it. So Servants are the key. Therefore the objective is to eliminate all Servants but your own."

Minato nodded. "So technically, you CAN only focus on the other Servants." Shirou nodded, apparently starting to get the hang of the situation.

"I think it's starting to make sense. If my Servant is the only Servant at the end of the War, then no one can stop her from obtaining the Grail."

"Exactly." Tohsaka affirmed. "So if you take out a Servant, then there's no reason to kill their Master as well."

Shirou seemed genuinely relieved. "Then why didn't you just say so in the first place? Just because you decide to fight in the Grail Wars, it doesn't actually mean you're gonna end up dead."

"Um..." Minato interrupted. He really hated to be the bearer of bad news.

"Let me ask you something," interrupted Kotomine. For the first time, Minato was glad he did so. It was much easier to pissed off about bad news coming from him. "Do you think you have the ability to defeat your own Servant?" That got Shirou's attention. "Servants are quite powerful. It's hard for other Servants to defeat them much less an ordinary Master. Servants cannot exist without a Master. Which means-"

"The easiest way to take out a Servant is to take out their Master," Shirou said understanding, but clearly not liking it.

Minato nodded. "Yep. But a Servant, even when you kill their Master, will not immediately vanish. If there is another Master, the Masterless Servant can form a new pact and rejoin the battle."

"Well what happens when you use up your command seals?" asked Shirou. "Wouldn't that set a Servant free? And then they could make a pact with a different Master."

"That is entirely plausible." Kotomine theorized. "If you use up your command seals, then you are released as a Master. Of course, if a magus were actually do this, he'd forever be branded an incompetent or even worse, a fool. But if that should happen to you, I'll personally guarantee your safety. That's my responsibility as Supervisor of these Wars. And I shall uphold my position. This is the fifth time our fair city has played host to the Grail Wars. The last one was ten years ago."

_And I still can't prove it had something to do with the disaster ten years ago...or my mother's death..._

"Are you people crazy!?" shouted Shirou, snapping Minato out of his thoughts. "You're telling me you've done this before?!"

"In the past, the Holy Grail Wars grew to become incredibly brutal. Masters were driven only by their desires and they began to butcher one another indiscriminately. Because of that, the Council of Mages appoint a Supervisor at the beginning of the War. And that man happened to be my father. So consequently, I have inherited the same post."

"Wow. It sounds like the Grail Wars have a way of bringing out the ugly side in people." Perhaps he was finally beginning to understand what he had just gotten involved in.

"Really?"

"Well yeah. I mean the earlier Masters were willing to break the rules of the magi to get what they wanted right? So imagine if someone like that won the Grail. Just think what would happen if they got their wish. It would be nothing short of a huge disaster. Some maniac with that kind of power..."

"It matters not what kind of person obtains the Grail. The Council of Mages will not interfere. Our only role is to make sure the rules of war continue to be followed. If you have an issue with that, then become the victor. After all, relying on others can be incredibly inefficient."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Shirou shouted, leading Minato to wonder what the Hell he was talking about. "I'm not interested in fighting in this stupid war of yours! It's got absolutely nothing to do with me!"

"So you're telling me you don't care? Even if someone unfit to possess the Grail should win? Knowing they could cause great harm to others? And you're saying none of these facts have peaked your interest...about what happened ten years ago?"

Both Minato and Shirou's eyes widened._  
_

"As the previous Grail War was coming to an end, the Grail was touched by someone who was unworthy. We have no idea what this Master was hoping to achieve, but we are all familiar with the atrocity that emerged as a result of his actions."

Minato clenched his fists as he began to tremble. "The accident ten years ago...the fire that consumed an incredibly large portion of the entire city, killing hundreds of people..." It was uncertain whether his words were filled with anger or sorrow, but it was clear they were filled with emotion.

"Yes. They say the cause of that fire is still unknown, but it's actually the scar caused by the Fourth Holy Grail War." Minato could feel his nails beginning to dig into the flesh of his palm. Shirou also seemed to tense.

_...So it was the Grail Wars after all...but how did it happen? There has to be more to it than that...  
_

Tohsaka seemed to notice their uneasiness. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" Minato merely nodded.

Shirou seemed to have been snapped out of some kind of trance. "I-I'm alright." He then turned back to Kotomine. "So, what was the outcome of the last War?"

Kotomine had a strange look in his eyes when he spoke again. "There wasn't one. Like I said, the Grail was touched by someone unworthy and the War ended. But before him, there was another man who touched it, but you see, that man had done his best to avoid fighting and so the Grail did not completely materialize. When all seven Servants have gathered, the Grail will appear and begin to materialize. But remember what I've told you, this man chose not to fight so the Grail refused to acknowledge him as its rightful owner."

"I'm afraid he's right," agreed Tohsaka. "There isn't any way to avoid confrontations with Masters. It's essentially pointless."

"So...the accident ten years ago because one man was too scared to fight?" asked Minato, drawing everyone's attention. "He's nothing but a coward." Tohsaka silently agreed with the ten-year-old's words, trying to ignore the fact he refused to look at anyone.

"Wait!" Shirou interjected. "This Master was you, right?!" Kotomine didn't deny it.

"About halfway through the battle, I quit. Unfortunately, I had lost my Servant, so I came to my father and asked for protection. That is all I wish to say on that subject." Kotomine turned and began to walk away, leaving Minato impressed.

_Wow. Something even Kotomine won't touch...Could it be he's actually human after all?_

Minato resisted the urge to laugh at the question. Kotomine would be considered human the day Hell froze over.

"Once a Master's lost their Servant, a Master is no longer qualified to win the Grail. When the tournament reduces the number to one, the Grail will go to the victor. I'll ask you again: This is your last chance, Shirou Emiya. Decide. Will you or will you not be a Master in the Holy Grail War?"

Minato turned to the red-head. It was time to make his final decision. If he declined...it wouldn't be a pretty thing to think about. If he accepted, he would be forced to fight in a war like none other fought before.

"I'll do it." Shirou finally said after several minutes. All eyes were suddenly on him, even Minato's. "If all of this is true, if the Grail Wars DID cause that fire ten years ago, then there's no way I can just stand by and let that happen again."

With his final decision made on the matter, it was clear Tohsaka was ready to leave. "OK, let's go then." She then turned and started walking with Minato following after her reluctantly, followed in the end by the seventh Master of the Fifth Holy Grail war and Master of Saber, Emiya Shirou.

"Rejoice my son," came Kotomine's voice after them. Shirou stopped to face the fake priest. "You have a chance to make your dreams come true. You needed a distinguishable enemy to make your dream come to fruition. You may not want to admit it my son, but in order for virtue to prevail, I'm afraid there must first be an evil that needs to be defeated. For you, your most noble aspiration and your most despicable desires all flow from the same source. So please, stop pretending you don't know this. It's a conflict that's been going on within human beings for centuries." It was at this point that Minato finally realized he had stopped at the door and overheard the entire thing. He quickly started walking and out the door.

* * *

Once their small group was all together again, Minato was able to sense Caster's presence right by his shoulder.

_"Are you okay, Master?"_

Minato chose to act as if he hadn't heard the question. He had already confirmed all of his suspicions...the Grail Wars WERE behind the fire and his mother's death...but there were still several questions about it that needed to be answered. Until he was able to find the answers, he didn't feel comfortable talking about it.

"Well, we've done all we can." stated Tohsaka. Minato nodded.

"There's not much else we can do for you by this point."

Shirou nodded. "Thank you..._both_ of you. You are good people." Minato turned away.

"Please. Flattery doesn't mean a thing to me. Never has, never will." He then sensed Caster tense.

Saber quickly turned as she too tensed. "Shirou!"

Everyone then turned to face the young ten to twelve year old albino girl standing in front of a much, MUCH larger man wearing nothing but an armored skirt of some kind. Something told Minato they DIDN'T just come from a convention. The larger man stood with no emotion on his face whatsoever...it was quite disquieting.

The girl seemed to be giggling. She wore snow apparel despite it not quite being the right weather for it.

"Hello again, mister. This makes it the second time that we've met." Her voice...it was befitting a girl her age...but it seemed to radiate a sick glee that told Minato NOT to walk up to her and try to make friends...he was sure the large man behind her who could snap him like a toothpick contributed to THAT feeling.

Caster quickly materialized beside Minato, one knife in each of her hands. "Stand back, Master!"

Tohsaka seemed nervous. "This is bad. That thing's way out of our league." The seemingly albino girl curtsied.

"Nice to meet you, Rin. You as well, Minato. My name's Ilya." Minato somehow felt even more terrified by the small girl, Ilya, by the fact she knew their names. "Illyasviel von Einzbern. You know who I am, right?"

Minato's eyes widened.

_Another Master of the three founding families?!_

There was no doubt then that the Servant behind her was unbelievably powerful. "Von Einzbern?" Minato and Tohsaka both tensed.

"There's no point in knowing everyone's name. In just a few minutes, you'll all be dead." Caster took a step forward and blocked Minato's path, ready to push him back should a fight break out.

But Minato felt insulted. How dare she try to act like his better? What proof was there that she was the superior Master?

"Big talk for such a little girl. Why don't you just go home and play with your dollies?" He then immediately felt like taking a shovel to the head for his stupidity.

Ilya shot Minato a dark look before quickly returning to her previous cheer. "OK! Hope you're ready to die! Go get'em, Berserker!"

The large man behind her, apparently the Servant Berserker, roared and charged like a rabid dog let off its leash.

"Shirou, stay back!" Saber ran forward to meet Berserker's charge. She pulled out her invisible blade and raised it to block Berserker's own massive sword. While Berserker's rapid swinging had no style of any kind, it prevented Saber from gaining an opening to strike and forced her on the defensive. barely blocking his powerful strikes.

Minato didn't see any situation where Saber would win unless...

Minato turned to Caster. "Caster, go to Saber's aid!" Caster shot him a curious look, but nodded in understanding. The enemy of my enemy is my friend as they say. And Berserker was clearly the bigger threat here.

"Yes, Master!" She pulled out a familiar pendant and held it tightly in one of her hands. She then held out her other hand towards Berserker and positioned her hand to snap her fingers. "Burn in the Abyss!" Caster snapped her fingers, but Minato felt a strange pressure build up in her palm shortly before a large ball of fire shot towards Berserker, slamming into him and exploding. Suffice to say, everyone present other than Caster was surprised.

"Holy shit." Minato uttered. "Since when can you do that?" Caster smiled brightly at Minato.

"This is one of the reasons I was assigned to the Caster Class, Master."

"And you didn't use this earlier against Lancer or Archer BECAUSE?" There was a brief moment of silence shortly broken by a familiar beast-like roar ripped through it. Out from the smoke cloud generated by the explosion came the still violently swinging Berserker. On another one of his swings, Saber charged forward and intercepted the strike with her own blade.

It was nice to see she was at least a team player.

Saber was knocked back and slid backward, sword still in hand. Berserker quickly returned his attention to Saber who did her damned well best to dodge or block his strikes. He had somehow completely forgotten about Caster.

Caster held out her hand, palm facing the sky as a flame danced into life in it. She closed her eyes and seemed to focus as the flame became even larger than it was before. She snapped her fingers again and the large stream of flames exploded outwards toward Berserker, with Saber just barely able to leap out of the way before the flames made impact. She followed up with several other blasts that followed after the first, no doubt making contact with Berserker's giant form and exploding as well.

"Berserker!" complained Ilya. "Stop playing around! Kill the old hag!" Minato suddenly felt very afraid for some reason. The feeling was contagious after all of the allied Masters took a cautious three steps from Caster, who did not face any of them.

Even Ilya's eyes widened slightly at Caster's silence.

**"Old hag, am** **I?"** Minato took an extra step away from Caster as she began to radiate an aura of pure death. Another flame danced into existence in her palm. She must've been pouring quite a large amount of prana into that attack because four smaller flames burst into existence and began to orbit around it. **"Let's see you call me that with most of the skin burned off that pretty face of yours."**

Caster pulled back her hand before flicking the flames at the little girl. Minato stared at her in shock.

"Caster!"

"Berserker!" Ilya cried out. Mid-air, the single large sphere burst into a large, steady stream that was prepared to envelope Ilya. Minato saw a flash shortly before a much larger shape was swallowed by the stream. The large fire that followed lit up the entire night sky, creating a single inferno that would've spread to the entire neighborhood if Caster had any less self-control. It quickly died down, leaving only a large mass of smoke the spread out to form a wall of sorts.

Caster smirked. "How was that for an 'Old hag', you brat?" Minato stared at her in shock and disbelief.

"C-Caster...Why did you do that?!" Caster raised an eyebrow.

"Was that to your dissatisfaction, Master?"

Minato clenched his fists. "Damn straight! I wanted you to kill Berserker, not incinerate a little girl!" He was beyond outrage. It was one thing to kill a Master to kill the Servant, but Berserker was already down. There was no need to kill her.

"My apologies, but I thought it the only way to lower whatever magical defense Berserker had erected around himself," Caster said, disappointed. "But our enemy still stands." She pointed to the cloud of smoke where a glowing, blood-red eye could be seen almost glaring at them.

"Do not lower your guard!" ordered Saber as she returned to the allied side, standing several feet in front of Caster.

"Now that wasn't a very nice thing to do." shouted a familiarly cheerful voice with just a hint of annoyance in it. "Isn't that right, Berserker?" The smoke cleared to reveal a familiar large figure with his arms spread out in defense of the smaller shape behind him.

Illyasviel von Einzbern has a mildly annoyed expression on her face. "Now I thought I'd ignore you until you were the last, but you and your Servant are really annoying, Minato Arisato. Berserker, kill him first." Minato's eyes widened.

Berserker let out a roar of what may have been agreement before he once again raised his blade and charged with no plan whatsoever.

"Saber! Get Minato out of there!" Shirou shouted. Saber shot him a curious glance but nodded.

"Very well! I-" She didn't have much time to say anything else before Berserker was upon her. She just barely had enough time to raise her invisible sword to defend herself from Berserker's blow before it knocked her to the side, smashing her against the wall.

"Master-!" Caster didn't stand a chance even against Berserker's arm as he backhanded her in the opposite direction as Saber. She certainly wasn't going to be up anytime soon.

Berserker didn't stop his charge as he raised his blade one last time upon the frozen Minato.

Time seemed to slow down in Minato's eyes.

Just a moment ago, things had been fine. They were going to go their separate ways until they later fought...but now...

...Now he was going to die...He couldn't move or breathe...

Minato found himself unable to do a thing as Bererker brought his sword around one last time. He couldn't even feel anything...nothing but the strange and terrible feeling he felt.

_...This feeling...is it...fear?_

The blade seemed to take an agonizingly long time to make its way across. Minato wished it was over already. Better a fast death where you don't even realize it happened rather than a death where you have enough time to realize all your regrets and your fear. He could hear noises. The shouts of the people who had been standing behind them. For a moment, Minato couldn't even remember their names.

_...Do I...Do I fear death?...After everything that I've been through and seen?..._

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Minato was snapped out of his trance as he felt himself being pulled back by an unknown force as another form appeared from the corner of his vision. Minato felt his body slide to the side as he hit the ground, rolling.

That was when two particular noises hit Minato's eardrums...

The first was the sound of a blade passing through flesh...the second...was a scream...

...a scream of agonizing pain.

Minato got to his knees as he finally took into account the blood...He froze again at the sight that greeted him.

He saw a familiar red-haired boy laying flat on the ground in a pool of his own blood...a gaping slash wound in his side. The look in his eyes...

They was so empty.

It was funny. Minato couldn't even process it. Couldn't even remember what his name was. Not even the boy's name. The only thing he could think about was the blood.

The others were still talking.

Someone was shouting.

The girl and the large man left.

Everyone's focus was so fixed on them that no one noticed the blue-haired child stand up for a few moments and walking over to the downed red-head. He only managed through sheer willpower a few moments after that before falling to his knees in the boy's blood pool.

This person...he had saved Minato, hadn't he? He had taken a lethal strike meant for him...right?...So why?...

...Why couldn't he even give him at least a final honor of remembering his name? Was he that cruel?

"...Sh-" What was that?! He had been about to say something. What was it?...He...The bluenette's blank eyes were fixed on the red-head...trying to remember what he was called.

"...-rou..." He had done it again! He still couldn't hear, but he was sure he had said something. Some final word to the person who had saved him.

What was it?!

"Shi...rou..." The single name suddenly illuminated Minato's mind. The name of the person whom he had brought to this painful death by saving him earlier. The person he should've kept a better eye one. The name of Emiya Shirou. "Shirou..." Why was he crying now? He had only met him earlier that day...yet Shirou still gave his life for him...the only good person Minato had ever met and known...was dead. Was that why Minato was crying? Perhaps it was the very kindness that reminded him of someone important to him. He had been kinder than anyone from his family...Would they have been friends if given more time? Would they have worked together to win the Fifth Holy Grail War? Would Shirou have been able to live a happy, normal life regardless of who won if he hadn't been struck down protecting the ten-year-old?

All of these questions began to swirl around in Minato's head, becoming the only things he could think about.

That and that single name. It was the only thing he could say as the blood under him began to turn cold. Someone was trying to pull him back.

Minato didn't fight, but he found himself unable to move from that spot.

"Shi...rou...Shirou...Shirou! SHIROOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!"

**Done! This chapter has finally been finished! Yeah. I know the ending confrontation against Berserker was kinda lazy. This was the one confrontation I didn't plan out...Wait a minute...I don't have ANY confrontation planned out...Wow...I. Am. Screwed...Is what I would be saying if I wasn't starting a development team. Yeah. I'm having people help me out so thank Sacchin and HolyMage Mouto for helping me out!  
**

**So yeah. Caster can shoot flames...and...yeah...felt it was fair since she was a Caster...and stuff...**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews!**

**Bye-Bye!**

**UPDATE!**

**Here's a new character sheet made by HolyMage Mouto:**

**Class: Caster**

**Master: Minato Arisato**

**True Name: No dice!  
**

**Gender: Female**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Strength: E**

**Endurance: D**

**Agility: D**

**Mana: A**

**Luck: A**

**Class Skills:**

**Presence Concealment- B**

**Territory Creation- ? (B-A I think)**

**Item Construction(or whatever is its true name)- ? (at least C or B)**

**Personal Skills:**

**Expert of Many Specializations- (aroun think) She was a Queen, a Mage, a crafter of poisons, and a military leader.**

**Mind for Tactics- (B at least)**

**Charisma- (A-A imo she was famed for leadership skills and beauty)**

**High-Speed Divine Words- (C-B at most)**

**High-Speed Incantation- (B'ish)**

**Magecraft- (C-B I think)**

**Subversive Tactics- (D-C)**

**Projectile (Daggers)- B**

**Noble Phantasm:**

**Not released yet!**


	6. Chapter 6: A Moment's Reprieve

**Onward and forward!...So...Anyone read any good fics lately?...I read one fic where it's pretty much FSN on laughing gas. Incredibly inappropriate and sometimes downright wrong, but hilarious nonetheless! Made by the same author who made the FSN fic, Eureka.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's who I may invent at a later date.**

**Chapter 6:**

**A Moment's Reprieve**

_Shirou's POV..._

Shirou shot up, finally awaking from the dream of the previous night, panting. He immediately put a hand to his forehead after a quick wave of pain struck him.

After the initial pain wore off, Shirou noticed something...TWO things actually.

The first was the most obvious. The white bandages wrapped around a fair portion of his torso were rather hard to miss. He scratched his head trying to remember all of the events of the previous night.

That was when he noticed the second 'something'...or rather someONE.

Laying flat on his stomach on the floor next to Shirou's bed was a familiar bluenette dressed in crescent moon patterned pajamas, sleeping peacefully. Shirou had a haze memory but he was positive he had seen the blue-haired boy, Minato. He remembered a usually permanent frown and a rather rude disposition at times.

But what was he doing here? Shirou had to be sure to ask that when he woke up.

Minato had apparently taken to the floor and curled up into a little ball while he slept. There was no sign of discomfort in the peaceful expression on his face. He actually looked quite comfortable.

When Shirou got out of his bed, he knew he would feel a little bad later if he just left a ten-year-old child sleeping on the floor so he carefully picked him up and gently placed the bluenette on his bed and covering him with a blanket before going to the closet to get dressed for the day.

Things got even stranger when he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. After rinsing out his mouth, Shirou couldn't help but feel a little worried when there was a bit of blood mixed in with the water.

"What's that about?" He asked himself. This brought him back to the question of what the Hell did he do last night?

It came to a head when he entered the dining room where he usually ate (normally with Fuji-nee mooching as usual) only to be greeted by the sight of a familiar (he would never admit his suspicion to her face) tsundere.

Rin Tohsaka smiled like her presence wasn't an intrusion in any way. "Good morning. I hope you're not upset, but I decided to let myself in."

Clearly. Thankfully, Shirou had enough common sense not to say that out loud.

Instead, he decided to go with something practical. "W-What are you doing here?!"

"Do you realize you don't have any decent tea in this house?" Rin asked as if it was the bigger issue here. "If you're going to insist on teabags, at least use the triangular ones."

What was-...What? "Um...Tohsaka, just what are you doing-"

"Wait a second." She interrupted with a small smile. "Don't I at least deserve a little thank you for carrying you all the way home last night?" Her expression fell a little bit. "After all, it's not like I got help from _that woman._" As if on cue, the door opened yet again to reveal a beautiful woman no older than her mid-twenties with INCREDIBLY long, black hair that was tied back in a pony tail and still touched the ground. The only thing you could tell she was wearing was the pink shirt she wore over her torso, putting an emphasis on the curves of her bust. For some reason, she skipped out on pants, skirt, or anything to cover her legs other than an inch of her shirt.

"Oh, that's so mean, Tohsaka-chan~!" She then turned to Shirou and smiled apologetically. "I hope you don't mind, Emiya-kun, but I borrowed one of your shirts."

"How rude," chastised Rin with an annoyed look. "Just barging into another person's house and acting like you own the place. The nerve of it."

If Shirou wasn't focused specifically on not looking at Caster and her ample bust which he doubted was restrained by a bra, he would've probably have sweat dropped from the hypocrisy of that statement.

"Anyway," continued Caster, "I couldn't help carry Emiya-kun because I had to focus on my dear Master." Shirou tensed at that statement.

"Was Minato injured?"

Caster pressed a finger to her chin as she pondered if she's said too much. Instead, she shook her head. "No. Other than getting some of your blood from last night on him and needing a bath, he experienced no _physical_ harm last night. He was just a little shaken up is all. Couldn't even stand, poor thing."

"Some of...my blood?" Shirou then felt another headache coming on.

"Oh yes." Caster stated, nodding. "It was quite messy. Not unexpected considering you were nearly cut in half. The REAL surprising thing was that you survived."

Shirou paled slightly. "Cut in half? Just what the Hell happened last night?"

Caster raised an eyebrow, still not sitting down for some reason. "You don't remember? In that case, perhaps Tohsaka and I should give you a refresher..."

* * *

Shirou felt even more of a headache now that he remembered everything. The fight with Berserker, Minato almost getting killed, and Shirou himself taking a nearly lethal blow for meant for the child. Shirou and Rin discussed possible theories for how he possibly survived nearly being cleaved in half by the over-sized Servant. They also discussed Servants (a topic which Caster cheerfully offered some information on) and their incredible regenerative abilities.

They also discussed Berserker's identity as the famous hero, Heracles as well all of the infuriating details of the Holy Grail War.

Servants being able to eat souls, the names of Servants, and Tohsaka reminding him of the fact they were still enemies despite their previous friendly interactions.

"Tohsaka-chan is right, you know." Caster agreed. "Once Master awakens, we will depart and resume our previous hostile relationship. You will be an enemy I will crush at all costs to protect my Master." She then yawned as she stretched her arms upward. "But until then-"

Shirou tried jumping to his feet before stumbling and falling back to the floor in surprise. "W-Ga-It-" For you see, when Caster stretched her arms upwards, the hem of the shirt she wore moved upwards as well, revealing the honest fact that Caster was wearing NOTHING below her torso. Shirou's face was a bright red as he turned away.

_S-SHE GOES COMMANDO?!_ he thought.

Rin was also flushed, but more with outrage than anything. "Y-You...How indecent!"

Of course. Who wouldn't be embarrassed upon seeing 'it'? It didn't help that Caster had a clueless look on her face.

Upon seeing Shirou's embarrassment and the fact he was looking everywhere but at her, a sly expression appeared on her face. "Oh how innocent. I expected a healthy, young man like you to be at least mildly sexually active." She reached down to the bottom of her shirt. Shirou turned away, his blush becoming even deeper. "Would you like another peek?"

Shirou jumped slightly, another shock wave of embarrassment being sent through his body.

"You're not wearing underwear?!" Rin shouted louder than necessary.

Caster smiled. "Nope." She replied without shame.

"What? Why not?!" Shirou threw out.

Caster pouted. "They're so uncomfortable! How can someone expect a royal like me to wear such uncomfortable things?" She then looked away. "And even if I did want to wear something, I very well couldn't wear Emiya-kun's own undergarments and my Master's are much too small for me and I really did try too."

Rin and Shirou remained silent as they tried to figure out the most...just ANY reply really to that statement, their mouths open.

"So you never wear underwear?" Shirou finally asked after several moments.

Caster smirked. "You really are straightforward, Emiya-kun~! Trying to have your way with me, are you~!?" She giggled at the terrified look on Shirou's face. "Oh don't worry. You're not my type. There are only two men who I would ever allow to touch my beautiful body and one of them is my beloved Master." She then placed both of her hands on either sides of her face and gained a blissful expression which terrified Shirou even more for Minato's sake. "Oh it will be so magical~! When I am allowed the great honor of being Master's first-" She was interrupted as a frying pan flew through the air and smacked her right in the back of the skull. A dazed Caster fell to the ground with a thud, a noticeable bump on her head.

"Figures this is what I wake up to." came a familiar and annoyed voice.

* * *

_Minato's POV..._

Minato pulled back his arm from his throwing position and checked his wrists to make sure he didn't sprain anything with the force he threw that pan at.

Caster was on the ground, twitching being the only sign she was still breathing. "Why am I not surprised?" He gave a small nod and a relieved smile to Shirou and a sharp look at Rin Tohsaka, whom Minato could understand the reasons of her presence, but still disliked her for being a Tohsaka. He was, of course, on guard as there was no telling where Archer or Saber were hiding, waiting for a chance to attack. "Good morning, all."

Shirou sighed, no doubt pleased for some kind of relief from the previous insanity. "Good morning."

Minato scratched his head awkwardly. "So...anyone want to tell me how I ended up wearing this?" He gestured to his outfit in general. "I'm pretty sure this isn't what I fell asleep in."

Caster sat up and dizzily raised her hand. "Oh, I changed Master while he was sleeping since what he was wearing wasn't cute at all." She was met by another frying pan to the skull, causing her to fall back down with another bump popping up on her previous one.

"And my underwear?" Shirou and Rin both froze, an earlier statement spoken by Caster finally making sense...in a creepy sort of way. Caster was clearly even more disoriented after the second blow, but she still raised her hand anyway.

"Well why not go all the-" And yet another frying pan slammed into Caster's temple.

Shirou couldn't help but wonder where the Hell he was even getting those. The kitchen was on the other side of the room.

Minato was clearly outraged, his face absolutely red. "You vulgar, lewd, disgusting, lecher. Your indecency is beyond that of the universe's hentai God who-

This rant went on for a good half hour.

"- and may the sin of lust someday be magically purged from your tainted soul, oh witch of corruption!"

Everyone, even Caster, was staring at the panting Minato who was finally able to catch his breath. His entire face was burning red. While he has had Caster brush against his cheek or touch him in altogether uncomfortable ways, apparently below the undergarments is where Minato drew the line. No one could quite wrap their heads around Minato's extensive vocabulary on that subject.

Even Tohsaka was speechless.

After several moments, Minato finally calmed down and cleared his throat. "I had my clothes cleaned, so they should be dry by now. If we are discussing the Grail War, I'd appreciate further discussion waiting until I return."

"No need," Tohsaka said with a sense of finality. "I was about to leave anyway." Minato nodded.

"Well, then I'd appreciate being able to speak with YOU alone, Emiya." He paused, thinking. "Or with Saber if you'd prefer." Without a further word, Minato went to go retrieve his previous outfit.

* * *

By the time Minato had returned, Shirou had already seen Tohsaka off and appeared to be waiting patiently. Caster also calmly waited while sipping tea from her signature teacup (someday Minato was going to have an investigation on where the Hell she keeps it and where she got it from in the first place). She had also thankfully returned to her previous attire minus her heels.

Minato sat respectfully at the table. "It is time we discuss the previous night." Shirou scratched his head awkwardly.

"Tohsaka reminded me of what happened and filled me in about Servants so there's nothing left to talk about."

Minato shook his head while Caster's eyes darted from Shirou to Minato, waiting to see if either may a possibly hostile move against the other.

"Far from it, Emiya. We have quite a lot to discuss." Minato crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Like during the battle against Berserker...how you saved my life." Shirou perked up.

"What do you mean?" He mostly remembered just being hit by Berserker's sword and almost dying.

Minato raised an eyebrow. Did Shirou really not remember?

He ignored that mental question and continued regardless. "Well whether it was by planned intervention or by instinct, you saved my life by taking what would've been a lethal blow for me." Minato bowed to the point of pressing his forehead to the floor. "Thank you."

Minato's thanks seemed to embarrass Shirou, but more in a pleasant way. "Well, it wasn't anything. I just didn't want to see a ten-year-old get killed."

Minato felt slightly miffed at being referred to as the usual 'helpless child' again, but he let it go in light of the circumstances. "It was hardly 'not anything'. You have saved my life and in turn I am indebted to you until I can repay that act."

"You really don't have to-"

"Therefore I propose an alliance between the two of us." There was suddenly a serious silence. Caster was still defying the character Shirou had known for the past day or so and remained silent.

"What?" was all he could say.

"It's as I've said, Emiya. I wish to form an alliance in order to pay off my debt." Minato replied. "Despite my age, I have a very strong code of honor. Until the day comes when I can truly repay you for the life you saved, there will be no conflict between the two of us."

Shirou was clearly uncertain. "And your Servant is just going to go with it?" Minato couldn't blame his skepticism. Masters weren't the only ones who got a wish from the Grail. More than enough motivation for a Servant to go against their Master's commands.

Caster slowly and carefully placed her teacup on the table before shooting Shirou a serious look. "My only wish is to ensure my Master's happiness. His goals are my own. If he wishes to form an alliance, then I will abide by its terms."

Both Master and Servant turned back to Shirou. "So what do you say, Emiya?" Minato asked one last time. "Will you accept this offer?"

Shirou hesitated. "Um..."

Minato adopted a much more serious expression. "I take matters of honor very seriously. If you will not let me fulfill what my honor demands, then you may as well be finishing what Berserker started."

Shirou sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I guess a little help wouldn't hurt. So this makes us allies, huh?"

Minato nodded with a satisfied smile on his face. "Yep...Now onto our first matter as allies." Shirou looked up with an expression of confusion. "We need a place to stay."

"W-What? Why can't you just stay at your own house?!" He asked a little harsher than he meant, but this WAS a serious issue. Minato's expression became slightly more embarrassed, almost humiliated.

"Well, last night, after Tohsaka brought you here to recover, I sensed the bounded field I placed around my home being disturbed. When I sent Caster back to check on things, she confirmed that my home had been disturbed and more." Minato's expression became downright annoyance at his own words.

Caster took it from there. "When I returned to our previous base of operations, I found it severely ransacked. Whoever came after we had gone did quite a number on the place. They were clearly upset that we were not present to receive the thrashing they gave the house."

"So you were targeted by someone?" Shirou asked, the atmosphere becoming ten times more serious than it was before.

Minato nodded. "Yes. And with the current state of the house, it can no longer be deemed inhabitable. So we have been forced to find a new place to stay."

"Well why not go to a motel or something? And more importantly, how did your parents not notice any of that?"

It was clear from the way Minato's overall aura soured that Shirou just messed with a touchy subject. Minato took a few breaths before continuing.

"I will not explain my full situation, but I will gladly tell you without hesitation that I am here alone on my own BY CHOICE. I obtained my previous abode through various if not questionable ways so don't ask. And I'm not sure I can do it again without drawing attention from my family-" Minato's eyes widened as he quickly realized what he gave away. "I-I mean...It's none of your business!"

"What do you mean-" It wasn't Minato's glare that silenced Shirou. It was the pleading feeling behind his glare, telling him to stay away from the subject, that made him close his mouth. For that reason and that reason alone Shirou would hold his tongue...for now anyway. Something about the way Minato was talking...to want to do something 'without drawing attention from his family' definitely didn't sound right.

"And as we are in an alliance," continued Minato as if Shirou hadn't almost crossed into taboo waters. "it is your responsibility as an ally to take care of a fellow ally and ensure they have things such as lodging...you know? Since we're _allies_. That's just what _allies,_ as you've JUST agreed to refer to us as, do for one another."

"Well, I guess," Shirou admitted. "But I'll already have trouble explaining Saber if Fuji-nee finds her and-"

"Great." Minato interrupted. "All good? OK, me and Caster will be going to go get our things. Bye." Shirou didn't even notice when Caster and Minato had already started walking toward the door. They suddenly disappeared in an instant, leaving Shirou stunned for several minutes. It was after that time that he finally realized what had just happened...

...He had just been tricked by a ten-year-old boy.

He sighed as he stood to leave, only to tense as a hand wrapped around his throat before throwing him against a wall. Next thing Shirou knew, a knife was pressed against hist throat and he was looking into two seriously on-edge, dark-gray eyes. It took him a few moments to realize he was looking into CASTER'S eyes...this only made him more shocked. He looked around for something-ANYTHING to use in case Caster decided to test that knife on his throat.

"What are you-!?" Caster's inhuman grip on his throat tightened.

"Listen and listen well, Shirou Emiya. We have something we need to discuss." There was no calmness or playfulness like she had exhibited earlier. Shirou knew that if he moved, Caster wouldn't hesitate a single second to slit his throat...or even burn him to ashes if she wanted to. Shirou nodded, submitting to her as there were no weapons within arms reach. Nothing he could make into a weapon at any rate.

Caster patiently waited for him to realize he had no option but to listen to her. "Whether you or he acknowledges it, my Master has grown to think of you fondly as a friend. Perhaps even as a brother. Friendship at the very least after you saved his life. He went to sleep crying when he thought you might succumb and die from your injuries. I'm sure you remember what I said earlier. My only wish is my Master's happiness. If you do anything to jeopardize his happiness in any way or betray him, I will be sure to see to it that you pay deeply. Even if it's from the next life, I will do everything in my power to ensure that you pay for hurting him. Do you understand?" Shirou struggled before nodding slowly. Caster's demeanor quickly changed to her usual cheerful self. "That's good then. We are on the same page, as they say." She quickly released Shirou and even made a show of brushing him off. She quickly began to speed walk away and only stopped one last time to peek out from behind a corner. "Oh, and no need to tell Saber about this. Mmkay, Emiya-kun?" She didn't wait for an answer before vanishing. Leaving Shirou mentally exhausted.

He sighed when he realized he had forgotten about Saber. That got him moving.

* * *

_Back to Minato..._

Minato was surprised to see Caster running to catch up with him. She was usually following him like his own shadow...usually sticking close enough to touch him in an uncomfortable way so it's not like he was complaining.

"What happened?" Minato asked, curious. Caster placed a finger on her chin and smiled innocently.

"Oh, nothing. Just thought you had forgotten something so I went back to go check."

Minato knew he COULD press her further and get the truth, but he felt it wasn't worth the effort. "Whatever. Just try not to wait until after you get back to tell me next time. It would've been catastrophic if one of us had been attacked by another Servant."

Caster's smile became much more cheerful. "So you're asking me to always remain close by your side, Master?"

"Yes-" He then realized what he had just said. "No! I mean-" Caster let out a delighted shriek as she quickly picked Minato up in her arms and began to hug him joyfully, swinging him around like a doll.

It took a good five minutes to get fed up.

Five more seconds later, Caster was on the ground with a large lump on her head with Minato standing over her with a frying pain in hand.

Seriously! Where WAS he getting those from?

* * *

It had been fairly easy to choose what belongings he would bring to Shirou's home.

Minato didn't have that many to begin with when he first came to Fuyuki city. The real hard part was searching through the wreckage caused by whatever unknown Servant had attacked.

Minato didn't let it affect him though. It wasn't his house anyway. While the thought that an enemy Servant had purposefully targeted him was disconcerting, he assumed it had been the still annoyed Ilya and Berserker who wanted revenge. For whatever reason, they didn't continue their assault after Shirou had been apparently killed. After that, they wouldn't confront him or Shirou directly...for now, anyway. 'Why' was the only thing that worried him.

He quickly put that behind him. After finding several outfits for his stay at Emiya House, Minato and Caster immediately packed up and departed, agreeing the less time spent on their own and in the open, the better.

Minato easily opened the door as he had when he left earlier. He made a mental note to inform Shirou to upgrade his security as an assailant could easily break in, slit his throat, and leave before anyone noticed with little to no effort. He then made his way around the house as he managed to memorize the layout the previous night.

"Oi! Emiya! I'm back! Don't suppose you got anything left over from break-" Minato paused when he entered the dining room to the three faces staring at him. Shirou froze before glancing at both the other people, both women.

One girl looked just a bit younger than Shirou and held what appeared to be violet hair while the other was probably several years older than Shirou and had shorter, light-brown hair and she wore a green dress with a yellow and black stripe shirt and white shoes. Both of them stared in surprise and shock at the appearance of the ten-year-old child.

Minato could sense the air grow awkward. "Erm...Good morning." He could imagine how awkward it was from their POV.

A random bluenette just appearing right in the middle of breakfast for no apparent reason and seems to know the red-head of the group.

The violet-haired girl turned to Shirou with a confused expression. "Um...Senpai, who is this?"

Seeing no other option, Minato bowed and put on the facade of an AVERAGE ten-year-old boy. "Oh, good morning, ma'am! My name is Minato Arisato! What's your name?" Just to sell it, he gave a wide, childish grin (something that felt unnatural and disgusting to him). Minato couldn't help but feel thankful he had Caster enter spirit form before entering the building.

The girl was clearly caught off guard by the question. "Um...My name's...Sakura...Nice to meet you?"

The older woman gave a deceptively kind smile with hidden hostility hidden underneath it. "Now why are you here?"

_Wow, she's straightforward._

Minato's smile didn't waver. "Shi-kun and I are good friends! He invited me to stay with him!" He then felt the familiar urge to take a shovel to the skull once he realized how he worded that. The girl, Sakura, stared at Shirou with what may have been terror while the older woman remained passive, gently placing her hands on Shirou's shoulders.

_Shit shit shit._

The older woman looked up at Shirou with tears in her eyes. "It's all my fault you fell down 'that road'! I wasn't paying enough attention to you! That one time when you were younger and you asked to play War, I'M SO SORRY IS SAID NOOO!" She brought the clearly confused Shirou into a hug as comical tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"So that's your preference, Senpai..." Sakura seemed more depressed than simply shocked...as if...

_Oh! So THOSE are her feelings toward Shirou..._ Minato noticed mentally. _...It's so weird but I get the strange urge to say that I ship them._.._I don't even know what that means!_

"-and when you wanted to take that one day off from school, I should've let you! This is all my fault!" The older woman cried.

"What are you talking about, Fuji-nee?" Shirou asked, not getting the misunderstanding.

While Minato DID find it humorous, it also made him feel bad to see that woman crying over-

_Holy shit. My conscience is starting to get out of control. What do I gotta do? Kill-never mind...yeah, I should probably do something..._

Minato turned to Shirou with an expression of mock-confusion. "Shi-kun? What's the older ma'am talking about?"

Shirou gave Minato a questioning look, no doubt wondering where he was going with this.

The older woman, Fuji-nee, then remembered Minato was still there and turned to him with her comical, crying expression. "And now he's hurt an innocent child! And when you grow up, you're going to be like him and start an entire cycle of pain and misery!"

"Shi-kun didn't hurt me." Minato said in confusion (faked confusion that is).

Fuji-nee perked up at that. "He didn't?!" She then looked as if a mountain had been lifted off her shoulders. Sakura also seemed relieved. "So he hasn't done it yet...thank God..."

"What are you talking about?" Minato asked again, pretending not to know the answer. "If it wasn't for Shi-kun, I'd be living on the streets." He then paused for dramatic effect. "STOP BEING MEAN TO SHI-KUN!" A fake tear began to form in the corner of his eye.

Fuji-nee dried her eyes before pulling her hands away from Minato. She shot an accusing stare toward Shirou.

"Shirou, explain!"

* * *

Minato smiled seemingly ignorant of the events that were transpiring. It took a few extra minutes to convince the woman called Fuji-nee that Shirou hadn't abducted Minato or fallen down 'that road'.

"So explain why there's a ten-year-old boy here." Fuji-nee demanded. Shirou held up his hands in surrender and looked to Minato for a hint on what to do.

Minato gave him a 'leave it to me' look.

Minato began trembling slightly (also faked). "Well...One day, mommy and daddy took me to go get something from the grocery store. It was funny because they didn't usually take me with them and usually left me with Aunty Liz. They told me to wait on the bench outside the store...and I did. I did for a long time but mommy and daddy still didn't come back." Minato's fake tears began to return. "I waited even longer, but I got hungry and scared so I went off to find them." Minato let his fake tears flow, thinking about the saddest thing he could to make it seem genuine. Sakura and Fuji-nee seemed sold already as they gave Minato a sympathetic look. "B-But then I got lost! I was really scared and I was hoping if I w-walked around a bit more, I'd find mommy and daddy! But I still got even more lost and I was really scared!" Minato began to choke on his sobs, beginning to really get into the part. He then stopped crying for a moment to wipe his tears on his sleeve. "Then Shi-kun found me and gave me something to eat." Minato gave a warm smile towards Shirou, who began to feel awkward at being mentioned. "He said until he found mommy and daddy that I could stay here...Shi-kun saved my life!" And technically that last part wasn't a lie.

Minato was positive the trick had worked when he noticed Fuji-nee wiping her eyes on her sleeve to dry them as she choked back her sobs. Sakura was also beginning to cry as she produced a handkerchief seemingly out of thin air.

_Maybe all women have a secret pocket dimension only THEY have access to..._

"Senpai, you're so kind." Sakura blew her nose into her handkerchief as her tears of sympathy began to roll uncontrolled down her cheeks.

Fuji-nee seemed more under control than the younger girl and managed to keep a serious expression despite the fact her eyes were still watering uncontrollably. "This still doesn't excuse keeping an unaccompanied child here. There were many other options. Police, orphanage, SOMETHING!"

Minato decided to take more active measures. He walked over to the still sitting Fuji-nee and tugged on her sleeve. A new assault of tears began to form in her eyes as she was reminded of the little boys sad 'story'. "Ma'am?"

Fuji-nee nodded. "What is it, Minato-kun?"

_Haha! She's using familiar honorifics! This will be a cinch._

"Are you mad?"

Fuji-nee seemed caught off guard by the question just as Minato had done for Sakura earlier. "Well, I-"

"Did I do something wrong?" Minato asked, eyes beginning to water.

"Well, no-"

"Shi-kun said it was alright for me to stay. He said a pretty lady named 'Fuji-nee' would let me stay because she's so nice and stuff..." He then unleashed his ultimate weapon: The Arisato Puppydog Eyes. "I-I don't wanna go anywhere else! Please! I wanna stay! Can I..._Big sister?_"

Fuji-nee looked like a bomb had exploded right in her face.

* * *

_Shirou's POV..._

Shirou had NO idea whatsoever how the Hell Minato came up with that lie on the spot. If he hadn't known the child any better, even HE would've bought it...maybe it was the eyes that helped him pull it off.

While it WAS convincing, there was no way Fuji-nee was going to let him stay. To her, he was a lost child and a potential moocher. One thing well-known about Taiga Fujimura is that NOTHING comes between her and a large meal...

...that is, until Minato called her 'Big sister'.

The way Fuji-nee's face lit up like that was almost frightening. Before Minato could object, Fuji-nee swooped in like a hawk and plucked him from the ground and hugged him so tight that his eyes almost bugged out of his skull.

"How could I say no to such a poor, innocent, little boy!"

Shirou's jaw dropped.

_That...that really worked?!_

Minato looked over Fuji-nee's shoulder and gave him a thumbs up with a smirk on his face, causing Shirou's sweat to drop.

_You'll give it away if you do that._

"SHIROU!" Shirou jumped at being addressed by Fuji-nee. She was shooting him a sharp look. "While he may be a moocher and another mouth to feed, I order you to take care of your new adoptive brother like you and he were blood! He's been through enough so I expect you take good care of him!"

_B-Brother?!_

"O-Of course I will, Fuji-nee." Shirou replied, just wondering what the Hell he got himself into.

* * *

_Minato's POV..._

Minato felt Fuji-nee's bear hug was going to crush his spine if she kept it up.

He was even more shocked when Fuji-nee called him Shirou's 'adoptive brother'...it wasn't a bad feeling really...a little warm in fa-

Minato shook his head.

_No. My only objective is to repay my debt. I didn't come here to 'find a new family'._

He then quickly put on his childish smile on his face. "Isn't this great, Shi-kun! Big sister is letting me stay!" Fuji-nee quickly wrapped her arms around Minato and began to swing him around like a rag doll.

"AWWWWW~! OhmyGodyou'resocute~! You remind of of Shirou back when he was little and you're even twice as adorable!"

_Suffocating..._

It was even more embarrassing as Minato's head was pressed against Fuji-nee's chest. He deeply tried to ignore it and wished he DID have the mentality of a ten-year-old and would've been able to ignore it.

Minato's thoughts were interrupted as he felt an ominous presence...it certainly wasn't human. He shot a glance to his right to see a furious-looking woman hiding behind a corner, a small flame dancing in the palm of her hand. The flames of jealousy had enveloped his entire being. She was just waiting for a SINGLE reason to incinerate the woman touching her beloved Master.

Minato shot her a glare. "Caster!" he hissed softly. "Go back!"

Fuji-nee pulled away from Minato to give a curious look. "Did you say something?"

Minato panicked for a moment. "Um..." He quickly turned on his smile again. "I said you're the best, big sister!"

"SO CUTE~!" Fuji-nee then went back to crushing Minato to death. He shot one last warning glance to Caster who grudgingly took the hint and returned to spirit form while shooting one last dirty look towards Fuji-nee and Sakura.

Minato couldn't help but wonder just what the Hell he'd gotten himself into. He was getting REALLY uncomfortable now as Fuji-nee didn't show any signs of stopping._  
_

_Do not...pull out...frying pa-OH who am I kidding?  
_

With a swing of his hand, Minato brought his NEW frying pan around to Fuji-nee's skull, knocking her to the ground with a big bump on her head. Sakura stared with a hand over her mouth and Shirou stared wide-eyed.

Thank GOD for hypnotism, magic, and above all, magical hypnotism!

**And just like that, I'm done! I would've added more to the end, but I'm feeling tired and didn't feel like doing anything else. So yeah...Minato and Shirou alliance, Taiga mistakes Shirou for a pedo, Shirou is cleared of being a pedo, Minato becomes Shirou's adoptive little bro, and now Minato has TWO older women wanting to touch him (albeit in VERY different definitions of the word...Taiga being the more familial kind of way).**

**So just to clear up that ending, Minato will use his hypnotic abilities...mystic eyes or whatever to make them forget that just happened...so yeah...**

**Thank Sacchin and HolyMage Mouto for their help in this!**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	7. Chapter 7: A Bad Feeling

**Iiiiiiiiiit's PARTY TIME! I hope you all enjoy! So...Next chapter of FateStay Blue...erm...yeah...  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's who may exist at a later date.**

**Chapter 7:**

**The Bad Feeling**

Minato was actually glad for once that he had mystic eyes. The incident that had occurred previously was somehow MAGICALLY forgotten by both Sakura (whose full name Minato had yet to learn) and Fuji-nee (whom Minato later learned was named Taiga Fujimura as well as the fact she was a teacher at Shirou's school). Shirou agreed to keep it from them, but Minato in turn had to promise not to use his unlimited frying pan supply or any other blunt object on either of them. It was going to be a LOOOOONG alliance.

Minato looked up from his food to stare at the sight that could potentially explode into a whole lot of fun. At some point while he, Taiga, and Sakura had been eating dinner with him, Shirou just got up all of a sudden and came back with a just as confused Saber.

It had clearly been a spur of the moment, guilt thing as Shirou began to introduce his female Servant.

"I should've done this earlier, but I'd like to introduce you to Saber. She'll be staying here for a little while." Saber gave him a confused and mildly surprised (almost pleasantly so) look. Shirou then turned to Saber. "Saber, you can sit next to me. It'll be good for all of us to eat together."

Saber still seemed uncertain about the whole thing. "I agree it's the most efficient way to go about it, but are you sure-"

"I've never been more sure." Shirou continued as he sat back down at the table. "If you're going to be staying here, you're going to be eating here. And that now means it's six meatballs per person."

Up to that point, Taiga had watched with mostly a surprised and confused expression, but the moment Shirou said 'less food per person', Minato began to feel very, VERY afraid. Taiga's expression became one of pure outrage.

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

Minato maintained a neutral expression as he continued to eat the delicious meal in front of him.

_And now, people. Let us watch and see what happens when the foolish teenager is stupid enough to take food from a hungry Taiga._

Shirou covered his ears to avoid going deaf.

"Shirou! What exactly are you thinking?! You can't just let random girls stay with you whenever you want! You're not running hotel, you know!"

Minato did his best to hide his amused expression.

"What's the big idea?" Shirou defended. "It's big enough to be a hotel, so what's wrong with an extra person or two?"

"An extra person or two?! YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S MORE GIRLS STASHED AROUND HERE?!" Minato had to bite his lip to keep from forming a small smile filled with mischief. How inconvenient would it be if Caster were to 'accidentally' materialize at that moment?...

Sakura seemed fearful of the answer to Taiga's question. "Senpai, is that true? Are you stashing girls?"

It was clear that Shirou was beginning to lose control of the situation. "N-No! It's not like that! Would you guys stop it with all of the innuendos!?"

"But she's-"

Shirou shook his head. "Look, Saber is-"

Taiga slammed a hand onto the table. "Alright then! How about if we get evidence from a witness!? Someone who's too young to understand any of this (thank God)!" Minato raised an eyebrow before his expression changed to surprise when both she and Sakura turned towards him.

He quickly adopted the clueless ten-year-old expression. "Something wrong, Big Sis Taiga?" Minato had taken to calling Taiga that even after learning her full name. It would've been quite an inconvenience if his ten-year-old facade seemed to weaken at some point. Taiga hesitated as she almost broke down from Minato's adorableness.

Taiga nodded. "I need you to be honest for your big sisters right now. You've been around the house while the rest of us have been gone, so you need to tell the truth when I ask this next question." She took a deep breath. "Have you seen any other pretty girls other than that Saber woman around here?"

Minato decided to have a little fun. He shot Taiga a big smile (still felt unnatural but less so since he was beginning to have fun). "Yes."

There was a sharp gasp from both Sakura and Taiga while Shirou looked like he was about to have a heart attack. He knew Minato was a VERY capable child. There was no telling what he was going to say next. After that, Taiga became slightly more forceful in her questioning.

"WHAT?! Alright! I want names! Who are these women?!" Minato didn't even flinch.

His smile became more filled with amusement. "It's Big Sis Taiga and Big Sis Sakura. You two are pretty girls and you ARE usually here, right?"

Their was a long moment of silence as Minato could actually hear Shirou being able to breathe again. Sakura had a slightly embarrassed look on her face while Taiga just stared with a blank expression. It was blissfully silent...

...so of course it didn't last long.

Minato almost pulled out his frying pan when Taiga picked him up and began to hug and swing him around like a doll...again. "OHMYGODYOU'RESOCUTEANDSWEET! You may have misunderstood the question but it's still so adorable!" The woman was practically cracking Minato's ribs and crushing his lungs. Minato was so close to losing consciousness, but he maintained enough awareness to shoot a glare where he thought Caster was. He pinpointed her position because he could almost SEE the killing intent surrounding her.

Shirou released a sigh of relief. Then Taiga shot him a sharp look and pointed a finger in his direction. "YOU'RE NOT OFF THE HOOK, MISTER!"

Minato smirked slightly.

_Despite the pain, this WAS fun._

* * *

It didn't take long for Shirou to eventually come up with the explanation of Saber is an acquaintance of his father which of course led to more fun (it was fun for Minato anyway) which somehow led to Shirou, Sakura, and Minato sitting against the wall in the dojo, watching as Taiga and Saber prepared to duel one another with shinai. It had to do with something about protecting Shirou, but Minato couldn't care less. His only regret is that he hadn't made popcorn.

Apparently, the only way Taiga would let Saber stay would be if Saber could beat her in a single duel. It almost made Minato feel bad...for Taiga that is.

Saber nodded when Taiga laid out her proposal. "I will oblige, but I fail to see the point in this exercise."

"Fail to see the point?!" Taiga shouted in annoyance. "Have you never heard of a lion tossing her cubs in a ditch just to sort out the weak?!"

"This is crazy." Shirou sighed.

Minato shrugged. "I'd assume you'd be used to something like this considering she's YOUR teacher and guardian." He paused. "I wonder if she puts this much energy towards teaching her students."

"Not even close," Shirou replied with utmost certainty.

"QUIET YOU TWO!" Both boys flinched before firmly shutting their mouths, fearful that Taiga would turn her blade on THEM. Minato may have stood a good chance against her, but there WAS a rule about keeping magic secret from regular people and he more-so feared THOSE consequences... That and he felt reluctant to actually harm her despite the fact she had tried to kill him with her killer bear-No. TIGER hug. For said beast perfectly describes the ferocious and battle hungry teacher. Despite that, he felt sick at the idea of having to hurt her, Shirou, or Sakura. "The only reason I'm going to such lengths is for your own safety anyway!"

"I thought it was cos you were greedy when it came to food." Minato muttered. Thankfully, Taiga missed that little comment and continued to stare Saber down.

"Very well," began Saber, almost deadpan. "I accept your challenge. If I just need to prove that I can protect Shirou, this won't be a problem."

To Taiga, Minato assumed what she heard was: "Please. I could beat you in my sleep and then after I do, Shirou will be all mine." or something to that effect from the way she started clenching her fist like that. Minato could swear he saw vein pop out on it.

"You're really walking on confidence, aren't ya? Alright, blondie." She then raised her shinai, moving forward to strike. "We'll just see how long you can keep that up!" Saber didn't even flinch or move a muscle, seemingly unconcerned.

It all happened so fast that Minato almost missed it. By the time Taiga had stopped and finally realized her weapon was missing, Saber was on the other side of the dojo behind her holding her shinai in her free hand. Sakura seemed surprised while Shirou seemed a more tense than before, perhaps thinking they've only reached the eye of the storm.

Minato could've sworn Saber actually looked a little bored, but perhaps he was projecting his own emotions.

"I'm assuming you are convinced now?" She quickly moved her hand to the hilt of the shinai that had previously belonged to Taiga.

That clearly didn't sit well with Taiga as she reached into the back of her shirt and pulled out another shinai. How that didn't bulge under her shirt, Minato would never know. His hypothesis of women having personal pocket dimensions was becoming more and more likely.

"Oh, I'm just getting started!" She once again charged recklessly at Saber who raised her own shinai to parry...only for it to vanish in a puff of smoke and replaced by a hand of flowers.

Minato's sweat dropped. "Taiga really doesn't like playing fair, does she?" He asked Shirou quietly.

Shirou sighed. "She really likes to do whatever she can to get her own way."

"Alright! SAY YOUR PRAYERS!"

In another flash, Taiga swung her blade...and they ended up in a similar position as before, Saber on the other side of the room and Taiga with a shocked expression.

Saber still hadn't even broken a sweat as she once again held Taiga's shinai in her other hand. She then dropped the trick shinai. "If you'd like to keep going with this, I'd be happy to oblige. However, I think the outcome will be obvious." She calmly walked over to the still in shock Taiga, shinai in hand. She then gently (more or less) whacked Taiga on the head (if she had been serious, there was no doubt she could have cracked Taiga's skull open).

Taiga then sank to the ground, comical tears rolling down her cheeks as she let out small whines of sadness. "Some weirdo is stealing Shirou from meeeee!"

Shirou was clearly tired by this point. "Just who does she think is the weirdo here?"

NOW Minato was slightly amused...until Taiga's crying continued for a good twenty minutes. Saber was apparently waiting for some kind of order or perhaps a chance to cheer Taiga up somehow, but every time she got near, Taiga glared at her and growled a little. The three children (well the two young adults and child) were beginning to feel worried that her tears were going to flood the dojo.

"I'm starting to feel worried." said Sakura, voicing all three of their thoughts.

"No kidding," Shirou agreed. "I've never seen her so messed up." Minato couldn't help but notice BOTH of them glancing in his direction every few seconds or so. "If only there was _someone_ who could cheer her up at a moment's notice by being mildly adorable towards their 'big sister'." Minato had a very bad feeling in his gut.

"Er...yeah..." Minato was purposely slowing his thought processes so he wouldn't acknowledge what Shirou was asking of him.

Sakura smiled, slightly enjoying herself and apparently catching on to something Minato had missed. "Oh! That's right, senpai. If only there was a short, blue-haired, little boy who sensei has already become unnaturally attached to who could cheer her up."

Even Minato could never be that slow or ignorant even if he tried (and he did). He opened his mouth to object before deciding instead to whisper to Shirou. "No way, Emiya!" He hissed. "There's no way I plan on dying _that way_!"

"Oh come on, you're exaggerating," he whispered back. "Come on, you're the only one who can actually do something."

"Forget it, Emiya! No way!" Minato crossed his arms in an 'X' to firmly announce his position on the matter.

"But you know that if she keeps crying like that, she'll die, right?" Minato froze.

"What?" For a moment, he almost believed that Taiga would actually die if she kept crying like that. He shook his head. And it made him feel...sad. "No she won't! Emiya, there are many things I will do, but being crushed to death isn't one of them!"

A light bulb then popped up in Shirou's head. "But isn't that what _allies_ do for one another? I mean _allies_, as we've been calling one another for a while, DO do things for one another, right?"

Minato blinked, shooting Shirou a hateful look. "Emiya, that's only funny when I do it. Never try using that on me again or I become severely tempted to kill you."

Minato wasn't joking. He could take Shirou out in his sleep if he felt like it...but Shirou didn't need to know that.

Shirou began staring at Minato expectantly while Sakura was clearly trying (and failing) to eavesdrop on their conversation and quickly sitting back down when she noticed Minato looking. Minato eventually sighed.

"Goddammit, Emiya." He muttered in defeat. "Alright, what exactly do I need to do?" He asked the question in a slightly louder voice, signaling to Sakura that it had once again become a group conversation.

Shirou and Sakura smiled appreciatively (which made Minato feel less terrible for some reason).

He then began to listen as they both began to whisper possible ideas, his expression falling further with each word before starting to become a sulking expression. "Really? You're really asking me to do that?" Both young adults nodded. Minato felt like crying from how much he was about to choke on his pride. "Fine." Minato then got to his feet, ignoring the other two giving him a thumbs up and began to move like he was an inmate on death row.

Saber gave him a curious look as he trudged past her, his eyes staring down at the ground.

_"Don't worry, Master," _came a familiar and oddly welcomed voice beside him._ "It'll be over quickly. And remember you're doing this to help an older woman you care abou-...on second thought, let her suffer her pain. You can't cheer her up!"_

"Thanks for the encouragement." Minato muttered sarcastically.

_"Oh! Oh no, Master. I didn't mean it like that! You have all of the capability, but-"_

But Minato had already tuned her out, feeling amused that she thought he misunderstood. It served her right for annoying him when he was already annoyed so much.

Minato continued walking over to Taiga before stopping beside the crybaby woman. "Um...Big Sis...?" He quickly put back on his childish facade before realizing something felt off. Taiga looked up at Minato. He did his best not to express disgust at the thought of what would happen if her nose started running. "...erm...it's OK, Big Sis Taiga."

Taiga sniffled a little, no doubt to keep from her nose running. "No it's not!" she sobbed. "Some weirdo just came in and took the person who was like a little brother from me!" She then resumed her incredibly loud crying session.

Minato sighed before turning back to the other two, who were still giving him thumbs up while he shot them an annoyed look before turning back to Shirou's crying guardian. "Well, Big Sister, even if Shi-kun DOES meet a nice girl, he'll always be your lil' brother." Taiga looked up at him, seeking some hope in his words. Minato then flashed a big, cheesy smile (tempting him to throw up from how unnatural it felt) and gave a thumbs up. "Me and Shi-kun will always be Big Sister's little brothers! I'll..." Minato almost choked. "I'll be depending on Big Sis to protect me!" Oh how much his pride was hurting.

Taiga stared sadly at Minato, sniffling again. For a moment...Minato experienced for JUST THAT MOMENT a slimmer of hope that it had failed and some other method would be used.

"YOU'RE SO SWEET!"

Minato knew that hope was crushed when two arms snaked around him and crushed him against the crying Taiga's chest. It was more unpleasant because Minato felt warm droplets of water splashing against his head. "Um...Big Sis..."

Taiga once again began to shake Minato around like a ragdoll which was beginning to become an annoying routine. "That's right, Minato-kun! I'll always be your Big Sis Taiga!" Her crying became more out of happiness than just sadness as Shirou and Sakura stared with amused smiles. Even Saber's mouth twitched a little as she tried to hide her own amusement at the scene. "Big Sis Taiga will always be there for Shirou and she'll always protect Minato-kun!"

This was beginning to get too sappy for Minato's taste. The sappy feeling was quickly overridden by the increased pressured around his ribs and lungs, making it more difficult to breathe. Taiga didn't seem to notice as she was still crying from relief over having a purpose again. Minato couldn't keep going.

...losing strength...

Minato felt his vision going dark.

_Goodbye cruel world..._

Minato felt his soul partially eject from his half-dead body. "Can't...breathe..." Why was no one helping him?!

_DAMN YOU EMIYAAAAAA!_

* * *

Caster's POV...

How much willpower was it taking for her to keep from incinerating that low-born woman? Every last ounce of it.

That...as they say, BITCH, dared to somehow think herself worthy of touching her beloved Master.

And she DARED to harm him as well! He was clearly in pain yet she persisted in this torture. It was only her Master's order that kept her from burning her to ashes or even using her Noble Phantasm just to make that woman suffer.

While Caster usually wouldn't follow the orders of a mere child, there is one thing that kept her under his sway: Love.

It was love at first sight. The moment she had laid her eyes upon her Master, she immediately forgot everything about age and era. She couldn't quite place it but she had often suspected it was because he resembled that _other person_. The only other person who could've ever held her heart...

Caster quickly shook her head. Such thoughts would only bring her pain. It only brought her mind to her wish and the pain in her heart of choosing what she truly wanted should she and her Master manage to succeed in claiming the Holy Grail.

She turned to look on as the Emiya boy and Sakura girl tried to pry her Master from the wretched woman's clutches. Just the thought of it made her blood boil.

That woman dared to think she could protect her Master!? But...Caster really didn't have her own confidence on that issue...her Master had almost died before and she simply laid around...She had almost lost her love again...

_No._ She thought firmly. _I WILL protect my Master. No matter what._

* * *

Minato's POV...

A few hours later, Minato laid on his OWN bed in his OWN room despite Taiga's nearly forceful attempt to make the arrangements so he would sleep in the same room as her, Sakura, AND Saber (Minato missed the explanation for the part where they sleep in the same room because...Oh yeah. HE ALMOST DIED!). Luckily Shirou felt guilty about almost getting him killed in the first place. So that saved Minato from being murdered in his own sleep by the incredibly crazy (yet well-meaning) Taiga.

Minato was already going to have nightmares about being crushed to death by a murderous feline. He didn't need any more trouble.

...but for some reason he couldn't get to sleep.

"Caster." He spoke softly. He felt a presence right beside him.

_"Yes, Master?"_ she answered.

"..."

_"I do not know how to answer you unless you speak your question, Master."_ she stated obviously.

Minato sighed. "These people...they are insane..."

_"Does this bother you so, Master?"_ she asked. And then she asked more hopefully, _"Would you like me to terminate that Taiga woman?"_

Minato shook his head, tired. "No. It's just that...I don't really mind it. It's not like back home where-" Minato quickly stopped himself when he realized he nearly spoke too much.

_"Back home where what, Master?"_

"N-Nothing." Minato quickly said, slightly distressed. "I mean, it's not crazy insane like in a bad way. It's actually...kinda fun. They are good people who act strange yet live happy lives..."

_"Ah."_ There wasn't any question in there or surprise. Only understanding, as if waiting for him to continue.

"Caster...do you think it's possible for ME to ever be able to live a life like that? All the time?"

There was a long pause, as if Caster was deeply pondering that question. _"Well...Never all the time...we...each person is different and..."  
_

Minato sighed before rolling over to face away from her. "Never mind." It was clear he was disappointed with the answer...but for much different reasons than simply lacking an answer.

_"...Master, if I may say so...if anyone deserves a happy life...it's you._" Minato was too tired to question what she meant. So he decided to make thing short.

"Thanks...and also, thanks for not using any innuendos or harassment. I was tired enough as it was." There was no answer which Minato figured was to mean whatever he could think up. Either way, he was grateful for silence...

_If only she knew the truth about me...about my family...if only they all knew..._

Minato then closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_It was yet again one of those strange dreams. Like the one involving the young child abandoned by her mother._

_This time he was in a village of some sort. _

_It was clearly at least two/three centuries before his own time as the technology was hopelessly out of date. They looked more like the farming and trading type of folk._

_Then there was a woman. She seemed very beautiful and at the same time VERY familiar._

_In _, all women were beautiful, but _ was by far the most beautiful out of all of them._

_It was clear by this point that these thoughts were not his own._

_The woman didn't have a very important or well-paying profession, but it was the only thing she knew how to do. Keeping the inn in good shape and all, while not a fun thing to do, was the only thing she knew. Her only reason to exist.  
_

_She didn't have any friends even when she grew to the age of nubility. Despite her beauty and the numerous suitors who chased after her heart, she felt nothing towards any of them.  
_

_Perhaps solitude was her fate. The sorrowful loneliness that filled her entire being._

_"Excuse me, my fair lady." A man interrupted her thoughts. She looked at him and gave him the once over. He possibly had some noble blood. Perhaps a member of the king's army or even a high ranking officer like a general. He was fairly young, no older than several years than her.  
_

_She had no reason to show any kind of respect to this man...but it wouldn't hurt. She curtsied in a respectful manner. "How may I help you, sir?"  
_

_The man smiled politely. "Forgive me for bothering you, my maiden. I was simply running errors for my king...yet I found myself captivated by your beauty."_

_The woman rolled her eyes. At least he was straight-forward about it. But it would be rude to simply turn away without explaining. "You are not the first. Many have come and gone, trying to woo me and win over my body rather than my heart. None have had it yet and perhaps none ever will. So I will gladly attempt to dissuade you from this foolish errand. I mean no disrespect, but if you simply wish to flirt and gain entry to my secret garden, I will move on now."  
_

_The man seemed even more attentive of the beautiful woman. "Then perhaps none have been as determined as I."  
_

_"You may have wealth. You may have power. You may be handsome. But many more determined than you have tried and failed." She then turned to leave the poor man she rejected all alone, not caring for the consequences.  
_

_"Then perhaps I will start with a single question. Will you return with me?"  
_

_The woman was caught of guard as she quickly turned around once more to face the man. "Pardon me?" No one had ever asked something like that without some less than gentlemanly intent behind it._

_"I ask of you, will you return with me to _?" He held out his hand to her. "If you accept, I will love you and care for you as my wife. I may not have known you for very long, but I wish for you to be the woman who I will be with for the remainder of my life."_

_The woman blushed. No man had ever just said it. And the way he spoke those words...their were no inappropriate feelings behind them. He was infatuated with her, but not quite in the same manner as many other suitors. Each and every word sounded absolutely sincere...but...  
_

_"I-I'm sorry." the woman stuttered out. "It's just that...isn't this too fast for such a thing as marriage? We have only just met one another. I do not even know your name nor do you know mine."_

_The man smiled softly. He bowed. "Very well, my beautiful maiden. You make very fine points. So I will gladly introduce myself to you if you will do the same for me."_

_The woman nodded slowly. "I agree."_

_The man was clearly pleased with her answer. "My name is..."_

* * *

Minato stretched his arms and yawned when he woke up from his dream. He tried to sit up only to realize something was wrapped around his small body.

It was an arm.

For a moment, Minato ran horrible scenarios through his mind involving Taiga before realizing it was Caster's arm.

He began running even MORE horrible scenarios through his mind when he realized Caster was wearing the outfit that somehow passed as PJ's for her. The same shirt as before with nothing else. He quickly struggled to break free from her grasp but she was surprisingly in fairly good physical shape for a member of the Caster class.

_...Is it embarrassing to be weak considering I'm only ten?_ He wondered.

He once again tried to pull away only for Caster to yank him back further, causing him to feel his head press up against two soft 'objects'.

He let out a little squeal out of surprise and embarrassment, but Caster still refused to stir. He shivered a little when he felt Caster nuzzling against his back.

"Awww...so nice and comfy..." Small breaths that followed told Minato that it was just a small sleep utterance.

Minato didn't even know why he expected her to have remained in spirit form. Perhaps he more expected her to at least have some decent amount of modesty.

He was glad this wasn't Taiga.

*Bang*

Caster got thrown to the wall after Minato hit her in the head with all of his strength using one of his mightiest weapons: His mighty frying pan.

Caster stood up and stared at the annoyed Minato with a look of...pity? Sympathy? What the Hell? Minato was about to say something when he looked at her again and instead she had a 'puppy dog in pain' kind of expression. "What was that for, Master~?!"

Minato blinked before giving her a disapproving look, trying to chalk up that previous expression to his imagination. "I hit you on the head because you were once again behaving in a rather uncouth manner, you wicked succubus."

Her immediate response was an overplayed look of hurt. "Succubus? I was only doing a Servant's duty and protecting my Master from any threat no matter how small. Even if it's the minor threat of being cold." Minato's eye twitched, but he said nothing. Instead he rubbed his eyes to fully wake himself up.

"I'm gonna go see if there's anything for breakfast. And you," Minato shot a sharp glare at Caster, but it was clear he didn't yet have the energy or it would've been a lot more menacing. "For the love of God, put some clothes on and go back to spirit form or something..." It was clear he was still sleepy by the fact he couldn't properly lay out his orders. He didn't address that issue as he dragged his feet into the hallway and no doubt toward the kitchen, leaving Caster alone.

Once her Master was out of sight and listening range, Caster's expression once again became filled with sympathy.

"Such a sad story...how does such a young child manage to keep that much pain inside of himself?...how much worse does it get?..."

* * *

Minato yawned again as he made his way into the kitchen with a sleep expression. "Emiya, I'm hungry! Is breakfast done yet?" He blinked twice when he realized the entire room was empty.

It was surprising because from what he figured, Taiga was usually prowling around for a free meal. Yet she, too, was absent. Minato quickly raised his guard, readying himself to face any hidden opponent.

"Over here, Master." Minato resisted the urge to jump at his own Servant's voice. He turned to see Caster in her usual attire holding a slip of paper in her hand and standing behind the counter separating the dining room from the kitchen.

Damn her incredible speed.

Minato sighed. "What is it now?"

Caster handed the note to him. "I believe the others are gone for now, Master."

"Hm?" Minato then began to scan the note.

It read:

_Minato-_

_Tried to wake you up for breakfast, but you were out like a light. I would've tried asking Sakura and Fuji-nee to help me but..._

_...well, you were in a rather compromising position. I didn't have an explanation for that yet and you know how Fuji-nee can be...well, Fuji-nee, so I didn't wake you up for breakfast.  
_

_I left you a plate of leftovers that can be reheated in the microwave. We'll discuss whatever we have to when I get home from school._

_-Shirou_

Minato placed the note back on the counter and began to rub his temples. "At least he had the decency to leave a note." He then went over to the fridge and opened it to pull out a plate of now cold food.

Caster tapped her chin. "Are you sure it was a good idea to let him go alone? He DOES go to the same school as Archer's Master."

Minato opened his mouth only to close it to shoot a look towards one of the open doors. "I'm assuming you had the same worries, Saber?"

The blonde-haired knight walked in as if her presence was expected while Caster's eyes flashed dangerously for a moment, still trying to decide whether to register Saber as a threat or not. Saber nodded. "Yes. I did mention this to Shirou, but he assured me that he would use his command spells to summon me should the situation prove too dangerous. I will simply take his word for now."

Minato nodded. "That's really all we can really do for now." He produced a pair of chop sticks out of midair and began to snack on his unheated plate. "Personally, if he can survive being killed TWICE, I'm sure he can handle a single day in school with a Servant's Master who knows his identity." He froze with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth. He then shrugged. "Eh. I'm sure he'll be fine. Luck of the devil, that boy has."

Minato stopped eating when he felt the atmosphere grow much more tense. Minato laid his food down before opening one eye to look at Saber. "There's more to this, isn't there?"

Saber looked at Minato, as if deciding the best time to cut him down. Caster returned the look. "I wish to know your intentions towards Shirou." Minato felt uncomfortable at that statement.

"Please don't word it like that. It sounds kinda creepy."

Saber found no amusement in that. "You haven't known Shirou very long and I'd like to know what you're planning." Minato closed his eyes and sighed.

"I do not know how you wish for me to answer that, Saber." Minato replied. "It is as I said. Shirou has saved my life and my honor demands that I repay this debt. As a result, he and I have formed an alliance. I'm sure a knight like you would understand matters related to honor, right, Saber? Honor IS something knights normally have, correct?"

That clearly touched a nerve. She didn't say anything, but it was clear she assumed Minato was questioning her honor yet again from the way she was clenching her fists by her side.

"I meant no disrespect." Minato added coolly. "I was not questioning your honor, but rather I was saying how you, as a knight, would understand how a sense of honor may control one's actions to the extreme." Saber became noticeably less hostile than a moment ago. "You have nothing to fear from me, Saber. For now, our objectives are the same: to protect Emiya Shirou from other Servants and Masters. Until a time comes as to when I can finally repay my life debt, my honor forbids me from ever raising a hand against Emiya. And should I manage to repay this debt, I will gladly announce to him in a peaceful manner the end of our alliance until we later faced one another officially. If I must, I will gladly take a sword for Emiya just as he has done for me if my honor demands it. Does this put your suspicions at ease, Saber?" Minato then began to contiue eating his food, waiting silently before Saber revealed her final decision.

"While there is a chance I do not truly understand if you have a different reason behind your actions, for now I will accept you as my ally and will fight beside both you and Caster should our enemy be the same." The hostile feeling directed towards Minato lessened considerably. And then she added in an afterthought. "But pray that our own blades do not cross for I will strike without mercy."

"So be it," Minato said before saying nothing more. There was a cold silence even after Saber left the room.

* * *

Later...

It had a little longer than several hours later when Minato assumed Shirou would've been home if Minato had learned the schedule of the schools in that city correctly.

Saber had taken to another part of the house to do God knows what. Caster didn't seem to want to bother her Master as he paced back and forth through various parts of the house. It was honestly a little cute to see him worry about Shirou's well-being. But when she said it out loud, Minato immediately became defensive.

"W-What the Hell are you talking about? It would just be a major inconvenience if our only ally were to meet his end at the hands of that Tohsaka!" Again his lip curled in disgust at Rin's family name. As if it was some kind of dirty swear word. Caster had been meaning to ask about that among other things, but she was never provided a good opening.

But she couldn't get annoyed at him for keeping secrets without being a hypocrite.

So Caster kept silent about the subject. Her Master had muttered something to her about getting some sleep before going back to his room. She did not follow for once.

But as minutes began to turn into an hour, even Caster became uncertain as to Shirou's fate.

Perhaps just VISITING wouldn't hurt. If anything happened to his adoptive brother (Although Minato would often deny that claim), her Master would be heartbroken and would cry again.

And it would be her fault because she had convinced him to stay his attempt to go after Shirou.

Caster would prevent this at all costs. So she had made up her mind by the time she knocked on her Master's bedroom door.

She gave the door three audible knocks.

There was no response. Caster frowned. Her Master was usually a light sleeper minus when she masked her presence to cuddle with him at night...

The thought made Caster lose her train of thought before she finally remembered what she was doing. Perhaps Minato thought it was an accidental knock. "Master." She called out. There was no reply. Caster tried opening the door only to find it locked. "Master, will you please open the door?"

There was still no response.

A cold feeling began to settle in Caster's stomach. Her pounding on her Master's door became a bit more forceful. "Master, please open up!"

No matter how much she called out, Caster received no reply from the other side of the door. She had a real bad feeling.

She mentally prayed her Master would forgive her barging into the room without permission (or Presence Concealment), but it needed to be done. She placed a gentle finger on the lock and muttered a quick phrase that was imbued with magical ability.

There was a faint click before Caster opened the door with a loud slam.

"Master!" Yet again, there was no response...but now Caster saw the reason why.

There was no sign anybody had been in the room for at least half an hour. The window was open wide enough for a young child to fit through, the wind making the curtains flutter in the breeze.

The reason her Master didn't respond...the reason he didn't acknowledge her earlier was because...

...her Master wasn't there.

* * *

Minato felt a little sense of achievement after successfully getting out of the house without Caster or Saber noticing.

But that also came with a slight guilt for lying to Caster. He ignored the feeling as she would no doubt either not notice he was gone or simply wouldn't care as long he was safe.

He mentally apologized to his Servant, some part of him thinking it absurd to apologize to Servant, but he had to do it.

He had to go find Shirou. He was in danger.

Minato, of course, had no evidence to support this claim, but...

...he had a very bad feeling.

**It is done. I didn't get as much as I wanted in this chapter...I blame my damn Ipad on which I have been typing...anyway...I hope you all enjoyed and thank you to those of you who praised this story in some way or form...**

**Expect a Fate/Extra fic on the side at some point along with a Servant that wasn't available to the MC in the game (which had a rather BS ending and I will be very cross if they do not make Fate/Extra CCC in English for the PSP).**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews!**

**Bye-Bye!**


	8. Chapter 8: Reason To Fight

**I thank you for reading up to this point! Let us move on to the next chapter of this story!...I have nothing else to say here.**

**And wanna know what? How come there aren't any Fate/ZeroxP3 fics?! I had an idea for one and it took me a total of fifteen minutes to work out most of the details. I will never do it because I'm caught up with other fics, but Minato would be one badass of a Servant...on second thought...let's see what happens should by some holy miracle I manage to finish THIS story.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but OC's who may exist at a later date.**

**Chapter 8:**

**Reason to Fight  
**

It took a good half-hour and quite a few wrong turns, but Minato eventually managed to find the damned school.

It seemed so much easier to find when Caster was carrying him (and he later felt pained by the injury to his pride because of that statement), but he made do with what resources he had...mostly his very short legs.

Once again, Minato Arisato found himself cursing his young age.

More importantly, he cursed Emiya for exploiting his generosity for coming all the way to the school to escort him home safely.

Perhaps he was going soft. He would need to fix that later. But regardless of what Caster said in her constant pestering, he MOST CERTAINLY had not formed an attachment to Shirou. It would violate most of what he had been taught under his father.

Just the thought of that man made Minato's lip curl in disgust. While he was a repulsive, cruel as well as evil person along with the rest of his kin, his training methods were admittedly efficient despite however much Minato despised them...Just the thought of it made him want to throw-up.

Minato shook his head, trying to snap out of his thoughts.

_Focus, Arisato!_

He knew something was wrong the moment he took a single step past the school gates.

A crushing presence. It was only noticeable for just that one moment, but in that one moment Minato felt his heart almost stop completely. It felt as if someone had reached their hand deep inside his chest and wrapped their hand around his heart before squeezing until it popped...such a malevolent feeling.

Minato placed a hand on his heart after the rhythm of its beating returned to normal.

_A barrier...Tohsaka's work?_

If it was, it was just another reason Minato would despise her...but deep down he knew it wasn't regardless of whether or not he would admit it.

SOMETHING powerful was definitely there at any rate.

_Emiya, I swear to God if you die, I will kill you._

Before Minato could come to his senses, he willed his body to move forward, plunging deeper into what had become hostile territory.

* * *

_Caster's POV..._

Originally, while worried, Caster had chosen to follow after her Master as a precautionary measure.

True, judging from the amount of prana he was able to supply her, he was quite a powerful magus for his age. She had assumed he knew what he was doing.

Worst come to worse, he and the Emiya boy would team up against the Tohsaka girl. While even then there was no guarantee they would win, her Master always had the option of using a second command spell to summon her to his side to take on both Rin and her Archer. Perhaps the Shirou boy would wise up and summon Saber as well.

She was totally content to take a rather slow walk over to the school where her Master had headed...until she sensed the enemy Servant.

THEN she started breaking out into a dash, making use of her agility and speed as a Servant to get to the school as quickly as possible.

Her Master was walking right into a trap.

"Please oh PLEASE be safe until I get there, Master!"

* * *

_Minato's POV..._

Suffice to say, Minato actually heard the two he was looking for before he actually found them.

It was rather helpful the way Tohsaka was firing randomly into a random classroom. Minato approached her from behind just as his favorite redhead (or the only one he knows at any rate) came running out of the room wielding what appeared to be some kind of reinforced pipe.

He coughed as the smoke from the room behind him began to clear. "Man, this so isn't a fair fight!"

"Finally decided to show yourself, Emiya? About time." Tohsaka said, so confident in her victory. Minato could just SENSE her Servant somewhere nearby, so he had a limited window of opportunity. "There's no way you can win this one."

"I'm inclined to agree with you there, Tohsaka." Both teens turned in surprise towards Minato's general direction.

Shirou stared, dumbstruck, while Tohsaka's eyes narrowed at the sight of him...slightly crueler than her previous hostile feelings toward him.

"_I_ on the other hand, stand a fairly good chance against you."

"Arisato." Tohsaka spat...For a sick, gut-churning moment, Minato could swear she knew. He was unable to prove this before Shirou opened his mouth.

"M-Minato! What are you doing here?!" Minato felt slightly miffed, but quickly ignored the feeling.

"I came to save you, Master of Saber. We ARE allies after all." Tohsaka's eyes widened. Apparently she didn't get the memo. Rin turned around and pointed her hand towards him, ready to cast a spell at a moment's notice.

"Then I suppose I should take out the larger threat here."

Minato smirked. "Oh, I. Am. Honored." He said it slowly as to specifically make it clear he was being sarcastic. He then returned his gaze to Shirou with a serious expression on his face. "You go on, Emiya. I can handle Tohsaka."

"But-" Minato shot him a flat look as if to ask 'Did you forget how badly you were just beaten?'. "...right." Reluctantly, he nodded before running away in the direction opposite of Tohsaka. Minato stared determinedly at Tohsaka.

"I suppose I should thank you."

"For what?" She asked harshly. "I'll just finish what I started after we're done here." Minato narrowed his eyes.

"Then why DID you let him go?"

Tohsaka chuckled a little. "Why else? So I could take down a monster." Minato felt his heart stop. Not because of the barrier around the school, but because he was right. She DID know. "That's right. I felt the name Arisato sounded familiar so I did some research. Turns out you come from a whole family of monsters."

Minato grit his teeth. He felt his magic circuits light up and the magic run through them. "Shut up..." He said it quietly...almost as a whisper. He held out his hand as Tohsaka pointed her fingers at him in the form of guns, no doubt prepared to use the spell she had attempted to use on Shirou earlier.

He quickly began to chant silently to himself. Tohsaka stared in wonder as water seemed to appear out of thin air and swirl around the palm of his hand, beginning to form a sort of half sphere. Tohsaka barely had enough time to fire her gandr spells when a fully formed sphere of water in Minato's hand begins to fire off small projectiles.

Bullets made of water.

Both attacks were evenly matched as for every gandr spell Tohsaka fired off, Minato released a bullet of water to match it.

"So how much did your whore of a mother get paid to birth a little monster like you?"

"What did you say?!" Minato was so shocked and angered by that question that he lost focus and released his spell for a second. A second was all Tohsaka needed. Minato rolled away just in time to avoid a barrage of black spheres that would no doubt mean eventual death.

Tohsaka chuckled again. "Wow. Such a short temper."

Minato stared at her with a look of pure loathing. "NO! Tell me what you said, dammit!" Tohsaka stared at him with a look of disgust, as if he was the one who had insulted HER.

"I've researched the Arisato line of magi, and suffice to say, I am disgusted." She shook her head as if she wasn't even sure where to begin. "How many atrocities your entire family have committed...yet barely managing to avoid breaking any laws. It's disgusting. Each generation has at least five children each to continue the legacy and then teaches them the same exact cruel arts as they knew. The Arisato is among the largest of magus families. Each child by a different mother with at least a single magic circuit. And then the children are taught dangerous and sometimes even forbidden magic just to further their own family's goal: To achieve the Holy Grail, isn't that right, son of the Arisato's leader?"

Minato bit his lip. She had been right on the money.

"They use people who were 'supposedly' dead for sick, disgusting research. Every last person in that bloodstained family has committed at least one sin or another. So how many did your mother commit before your father paid her to birth you?"

She did it again! "Don't you dare talk about her like that! Shut the Hell up about my mother!"

"Or rather did she do it just to laugh when you killed your first human being?!" Minato felt his blood ready to explode out of his body from his rage. Dark memories began to roll through his mind. Things he'd rather never even hear about ever again.

"I said shut-"

"Just how many people have you killed? Maybe that's the reason your family let you compete instead of someone else. Because your the worst out of all of those monsters!" Minato clutched the sides of his head as if experiencing some type of physical pain.

"I'M NOT LIKE THEM! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" Tohsaka froze as she began to notice the temperature around them go up dramatically. "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UUUUUUUUP!"

Tohsaka shielded herself with her arms as a strong burst of pressure was sent her way, almost knocking her right off her feet. "What-?!" All of the windows in the hall were shattered.

"DIE!" Tohsaka dodged out of the way as a large wave of water was sent flying in her direction. It cut a large scar into the ground which would've been Tohsaka if she hadn't moved. It was even more difficult to dodge the following strikes...it didn't look good. At that rate, she would have to summon Archer...

Then all at once, the pressure instantly vanished. Tohsaka stared in shock at Minato, who no longer let his magic run freely, but still had a murderous look in his eye. "Don't you dare talk down to me. After what you and your family have done..." He shook his head, not finishing the thought. "I'm not like them!"

Tohsaka blinked. She was clearly uncertain whom he was referring to.

"Not like them...not like them...not like them..." He continued muttering the phrase under his breath like some sort of mantra. Minato looked rather lost. The look from earlier was gone and he seemed more confused than anything. Even Rin Tohsaka found it just a little sad.

She seemed uncertain whether to kill the ten-year-old while he was dazed or talk to him. Neither options seemed very appealing to her.

Thankfully (or not so much), the silence was broken by a loud scream. Minato quickly snapped out of it before looking down the hall behind Tohsaka.

_That's the direction Emiya was headed in!_

Without further regard for Tohsaka or the fact they had just been trying to kill each other, Minato rushed past her, hoping to save his red-haired comrade.

After running for a bit, Minato eventually came to a stop in front of his red-haired friend and an unfamiliar, unconscious girl.

_Just what the Hell is going on?!_

"Emiya!" Shirou jumped at Minato's voice before turning in his direction.

He raised his hands to show he was unarmed. "Wait! It's not what it looks like!"

"Hold on, Arisato! Where are you-?!" Tohsaka stopped shortly behind the bluenette.

Both of the more well-trained magi knelt by the the unconscious girl and examined her.

"Did she just pass out or something?" Shirou asked ignorantly. Minato shook his head, completely snapped out of his previous episode.

"No...someone definitely tried to drain her life force. They were after the mana contained in her body." Tohsaka nodded in agreement.

"And if we leave her like this, there's no doubt she'll die."

Shirou seemed perplexed. "Really? But there's not a scratch on her."

"On the outside," Minato continued. "But internally, she's been almost entirely consumed." He then gave Tohsaka a grudging pleading look. "Tohsaka, I need your help with healing her." Tohsaka stared at him suspiciously before nodding and kneeling on the other side of the unconscious girl, holding one of her gems in her hand. She then began one of her own chants while Minato began another, making specifically sure that his spell did not interfere with hers.

Minato felt his incantation was going fairly well until Tohsaka lost her patience. "I can't concentrate! Emiya," Tohsaka pointed towards the open door behind Minato, "go shut that door for me!"

Shirou nodded and began slowly walking over to the door.

That was when Minato felt it. The new presence that had appeared. He quickly jerked away from the girl towards Shirou. "EMIYA!" When Minato saw the shiny, pointed object soaring toward him, he was absolutely positive it was all over.

His eyes widened when a small, dagger-like object buried itself into Shirou's arm as he threw it in the way of the attack. The bluenette had yet again been saved by Shirou Emiya. "Emiya..." The dagger than vanished. He let out a pained scream as he stumbled through the door.

"Tohsaka. Minato. Take care of that girl." Minato just stared.

"But...Your arm!" Shirou ignored both Minato's and Tohsaka's shouts and worry as he made his way through the door to confront their attacker. "Wait! Emiya!" Minato growled from annoyance before turning back to Tohsaka. "Let's hurry up and heal this girl! The sooner we do, the sooner we can go help Emiya! If he dies, I will never be able to live it down knowing I owe him TWICE now!"

Tohsaka stared at the child before they returned to healing the unconscious and half-dead girl laying on the ground in front of them.

* * *

_Later..._

Dangling by one of the enemy Servant's chains wasn't the way Shirou meant for things to go. He was supposed to have gone in, sword (read: piece of pipe) drawn, and fight the Servant off...or something along those lines. He had mostly been focused on keeping her from targeting Rin and Minato.

Now he was hanging from a tree by a knife that had planted itself firmly in his arm. The same knife he was trying to remove to no avail.

"Well aren't you brave," the enemy Servant said in a tone that could be considered mocking. "Do you always choose the most painful option available to you?"

Shirou chose to ignore her question in favor of renewing his efforts of breaking free. But she was right about one thing:

IT HURT LIKE HELL!

"By the way, I would like to address a little comment you made earlier suggesting how I might somehow be inferior to other Servants." She looked at him, her expression still disturbingly neutral. "Perhaps you'd like to rethink that position now." She readied another knife to deliver a killing blow when-

"I second that motion!" The violet-haired Servant tensed shortly before using her inhuman agility to leap out of the way just as the spot she was previously standing in spontaneously exploded courtesy of a certain Servant's fire-based attack. She somersaulted and leaped into the trees, taking a spot on a higher up branch.

The Servant who had attacked her wore a rather royal seeming outfit that seemed to have no place on the battlefield. She radiated her usual aura of beauty and charisma and seemed quite calm despite the situation. She was clearly ready for a fight judging from the small flame that danced above the tip of her index finger.

Caster smiled cheerfully at Shirou as if there wasn't another Servant present that would try to kill both of them.

"Evening, Emiya-kun! I see you are just _hanging around_!" If it wasn't for the tremendous amount of pain in his arm, Shirou would've sweat dropped. Even the enemy Servant seemed slightly disgusted with that terrible pun although her expression didn't show it.

The enemy Servant clearly disliked the fact that someone else had interfered with her and her prey. "Who are you?"

Caster blew an air kiss as if addressing an audience. "I am none other than the remarkable and absolutely beautiful Servant Caster! I am the sword and shield of my Master, the one who this Servant feels blessed to have as he does in turn!" She then closed her eyes and placed her hands on the sides of her face, the flames she created being dispelled. "And he's SOOOO ADORABLE! My beloved Master is a little rough around the edges but those gorgeous eyes are-" She then realized that both Shirou and the enemy Servant were staring at her. She cleared her throat and began to act as if she hadn't said anything that had somehow come across as normal to her had ever left her mouth.

She quickly turned back to the enemy Servant. "Now before I deal with you..." Caster pointed her left hand's index finger towards the chain that had suspended Shirou in the air before firing off a single ball of light that instantly shattered it. With the chain destroyed, Shirou dropped unceremoniously to the ground, flat on his face. The enemy Servant once again regained her full attention. "Now. Before my Master arrives and no doubt aids me in wiping you from the face of this Earth as has most likely happened in ages past, perhaps you'd like to introduce yourself?"

Rider glanced from the downed Shirou and then to Caster...and then to the girl as well as the blue-haired boy who were slowly approaching.

"Caster!"

"Pass." Was her short reply. No one reacted as she was aided by her intense agility in escaping from her potentially increasing opponents. Caster smirked to herself before gracefully dropping to the ground. She watched as her Master and Tohsaka ran over to the injured Shirou with her guard not lowering for a single second.

* * *

Minato stood in silence as Tohsaka temporarily treated Shirou's arm wound. His arms were crossed and he had a pensive expression on his face.

"That Servant...do you think that barrier was her doing?" Shirou stared.

"Barrier?"

Tohsaka nodded. "Didn't you notice the barrier covering the campus? I'm sure you've felt it when you got to school earlier."

Shirou placed a hand over his heart. No doubt he had felt the same crushing feeling Minato had felt when he crossed the boundary line of the barrier.

"There's no denying it then." Minato decided. "There is certainly another Master here." He shook his head in disgust. "...someone who would put something like that barrier up...we'd best tread lightly as to not let them know we're on to them. God knows what they'd do if they felt they were backed into a corner."

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Arisato," Rin commented sarcastically. Minato sniffed, but said nothing...which was odd. And Shirou could've sworn he saw a hint of pink on the bluenette's cheeks along with a small look of humiliation.

"Now we just have to settle things once and for all." Both Shirou and Rin turned to the young child, with Shirou being the only one who understood what Minato was getting at. Rin looked away, looking insulted.

"I've lost all interest in that. Let's just call it a day already."

Minato nodded, his suspicions answered. "Very well then. Caster and I will go see if we can pick up on Rider's trail. Maybe try to see if we can let her lead us to him."

Rin nodded. "Do as you wish. I'll attend to Emiya's wounds." Minato didn't respond to her, but instead turned to Shirou as Caster oh so cheerfully prepared herself to pick her Master up.

"Emiya...my opinion may not matter much right now, but for now, I think we can trust Tohsaka not to attack you."

"Huh?" was just about all Shirou could say before Minato and Caster took off, leaving just him and Rin alone. While he would be much more on-guard and disbelieving, he remained calm. It may have just been his imagination, but he could've sworn Minato showed a lot less hostility towards Rin than he had before. Rin expressed the same lessened dislike. It was like some sort of understanding had been formed between the two magi. Like-

"Why are you looking at me like that, Emiya?!" It was only at that point that Shirou realized he had been staring at Rin, who now looked both angry and embarrassed.

"Well, I-uh-!"

* * *

_Back to Minato..._

Minato had long become used to the 'Caster travel method', no longer feeling any pain to his pride when he was carried by his obviously bigger Servant.

"It's been at least an hour, Master...I do not believe we will be able to find and/or eliminate the enemy Servant's Master this night." Caster had a point. If they hadn't even found a trace of the enemy Servant yet, then any chance of finding her was long gone. But it was still irritating.

Minato began to bite the tip of his thumb. "Dammit. This isn't good. If the enemy Master is already this hostile, there's no telling how much worse it will get from here on out. The enemy is obviously as ruthless as he is hostile if he truly planned on using that barrier on the entire student body and staff, then we are going to be hard-pressed to find their identity. The barrier is incomplete NOW, but should we fail to stop them or kill the enemy Servant before then..."

"If I may interject, Master." Minato raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care?"

"Pardon."

"I thought you would want to win the Grail above all else. What do you care about a bunch of students who have nothing to do with you?"

Minato shot her a dangerous look. "Don't you DARE to presume how I think, _Servant_." It was clear he was angry by the fact he referred to Caster by 'Servant' rather than her class.

"My apologies, Master." She seemed genuine and Minato's anger instantly faded away.

"Just...I'm not like that. I refuse to let innocent people die like that. I'm...I'm not like _them_." Caster didn't push for information. The sad, pensive look on her Master's face told her it was that subject he had wanted to leave alone just as before. She already knew what it was he hid, but she swore to herself she wouldn't discuss what she has seen before until her Master was good and ready. "On the bright side, we can count on both Emiya AND Tohsaka's aid in hunting down this dangerous Master."

"Tohsaka?" Caster asked innocently. "I thought you said you despised her earlier?"

Minato looked away, but it was quite clear he had a blush on his face. "It's nothing. We came to an agreement earlier..."

* * *

Flashback...

The healing process was moving along quite smoothly.

With any luck, they would be able to have plenty of time to go to Shirou's aid...but it would've been faster if Minato hadn't been stopping every five seconds for some reason.

"Stop slacking off! Emiya could be dead any second!" Tohsaka was ready to hit the boy on the head out of irritation...but then she noticed the incredibly sorrowful expression on his face. "What's wrong with you?" She wasn't sure if she meant it out of concern or annoyance.

"Please don't tell anyone..." Minato muttered quietly. "...don't tell about my family..." There was a quiet shame to him that almost made Tohsaka feel sorry for him...until she remembered exactly what line he was a part of.

"You belong to one of the most despised families that has ever existed. Why exactly should I do any favors for you..."

Rather than shout at her or give a witty retort, the bluenette gave a long and very bitter laugh. It seemed like he didn't quite know how else to express how he felt. He seemed quite different to how he was before. He was still sad, but just not quite as angry. It seemed more like self-loathing than anything.

"You make an excellent point, Tohsaka..." Minato admitted. "No matter what I do...even from so far away my family's shadow still hangs over me...Oh how I despise them..." Then suddenly Minato's loathing was directed elsewhere. He actually seemed to have somehow ignored Tohsaka's presence entirely. "Their disgusting methods...so much pain and destruction for nothing but selfish gain..." Minato seemed to have flinched for a moment, but it might've been Tohsaka's imagination. "Me and all of my siblings have merely been test subjects for my father since the day we were born..."

"Then why are you partaking in the Grail War if not for some plan of your family's?" Rin asked, still unconvinced by Minato's words.

Minato smiled halfheartedly. "Oh, you misunderstand me. I fight for entirely selfish reasons. I wasn't their original choice for who'd represent us, but here I am. I'm apparently the black sheep of the family...but I suppose I am not any different. Each and every one of us are selfish and rotten to the core." He shook his head. "We all fight for selfish goals in the end...perhaps that's why I seek to keep an eye on Emiya Shirou. He seems to have no selfish goal whatsoever...quite an anomaly." Whether this was his true reason or not, Rin could not tell, but she knew for a fact that deep down, DEEP DEEP down, Minato was just a sad, little child.

"So you truly weren't the one who set up this barrier." Rin concluded aloud.

Minato gave her an incredibly offended look. "I would never stoop to such a method. That _monstrosity_ was no work of mine nor Caster's. The moment I find the person who committed such a crime will be the moment that person meets his end..."

"So we are in agreement then?" Minato blinked before looking back up at Tohsaka. "I propose a temporary cease-fire. Just long enough to deal with this dangerous Master. Agreed?"

Minato stared at Tohsaka with clear distrust, trying to find some hint that she was trying to trick him in some way. He scanned every part of her expression for just a single twitch that betrayed her true intentions. Upon finding none, he sighed.

"Very well, but only on the condition you offer the same proposal to Emiya as we have obviously formed an alliance."

"Deal."

* * *

_Caster's POV..._

Caster smiled as her Master seemed incredibly deep in thought. He was even more cute when he had such a peaceful expression on his face rather than the frown or scowl he usually wore.

"Shall we return to the Emiya household for now, Master?"

After several minutes, her Master finally opened his eyes. "May as well. We will not catch that Servant or her Master this night. It'd be best to regroup and try again tomorrow. But if Emiya hasn't returned by the end of the night, we will have to go looking for him."

Caster nodded. "As you wish, Master." Ever since meeting the red-head, her Master had seemed more open and less cold than he was before...

She chose to save that line of thinking for later and then proceeded to carry her Master up to the front gate of the Emiya house, quickly returning to spirit form as to keep the other non-magi in the dark about her existence.

Her Master calmly walked up the door and knocked, only waiting a few seconds before the door was slammed open to reveal that wretched Taiga woman. She had an incredibly panicked look until she laid her eyes on Minato. Caster's Master only let out a yelp of pain as the woman swooped down and pulled her Master into an unwilling embrace.

"Oh thank God you're okay!" The woman shouted out in relief. She then pulled away only to give her Master a scolding look. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, MISTER?!" Caster was ready to incinerate the woman for her insolence, but then she saw it.

For just a single moment, Caster could've sworn there was a small smile on her Master's face. This quickly vanished under Minato's childish facade as he had displayed before. Her Master gave Taiga an incredibly innocent look.

"I'm sorry, Big Sis Taiga. I just wanted to go play with Shi-kun, but when I got to his school, I couldn't find him." Caster almost swooned from how cute her Master was. "So then I went looking for a while..."

Then Caster's Master went on to describe a somewhat believable story where he had wandered the city for several hours, almost being kidnapped, and eventually being pointed in the right direction home by a man in the park.

Taiga's expression quickly changed from scolding to relief. "Me and Sakura were so worried about you."

The small smile once again appeared on her Master's face before it was replaced by a false look of shame. "I'm sorry, Big Sister...I didn't mean to worry you." Taiga sighed.

"Well, all that matters is that you're home and safe."

"Home..." Her Master was clearly happy despite not showing his expression to either her or Taiga. Taiga turned around and called back into the house.

"Hey, Sakura! Minato's back!"

"Oh! That's great!" Sakura's voice replied from the kitchen. "I'll get dinner started! He must be starving!"

Caster smiled a little as Taiga pulled her young Master inside. She had already understood his reason for protecting Shirou a while ago. The real question was why she cared for a school that really had nothing to do with him. It was far more than his honor or pride. He mostly cared for another reason.

Every last person involved with that school would be in danger.

This included Shirou, Sakura, and above all else Taiga. The only three people who had ever truly cared for her Master besides herself.

The only three he could consider family. The three whom he would give his life to protect.

**After a few weeks, I am DONE! Yep... And the Rider Arc has begun!...yep... Not sure exactly what else to put here. Yep...  
**

**For now, I will thank you for reads and reviews!**

**Bye-Bye!**


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